Balancing Out Justice
by SamiraGranger
Summary: An aspiring Defender for the IUSDA, Sam is finally getting the chance to prove herself in front of the Administration. She has to save a certain detective from falling to the threat of Kira. The catch? She has to do so without being discovered until after the fact. *picture links in profile*
1. The Beginning of Concern and Worry

_**Disclaimer: I do NOT own anything you recognize. They belong to their respective owners, and it SUCKS! (what I wouldn't give to own at least one of the characters...)**_

_**AN: Just to let you know, I'm basing some characters, my OCs that is, on actual people I know, friends, family, that sort of thing. Also, one of them has the same first name as myself, and I chose the name (actually used for the majority of my heroines) because, even though I don't like my name, it does make a good name for a character. Plus, there are just so many different nicknames for it, I thought it'd be a good idea!**_

_Balancing Out Justice_

_by SamiraGranger_

**Chapter One: The Beginning of Concern and Worry**

Crying as she watched the video that was playing on her laptop, Sam felt a few tears run down her cheeks as she, once again, watched her favorite character die. _Why did he have to die? He didn't deserve it,_ she thought as she looked at the screen. Holding one of her stuffed panda bears to her chest as she cried, she couldn't help but imagine what it would be like to be in the anime she was watching, or even any of them. _Yeah right, as if that would happen._

"Sam! Get your butt down here and eat some dinner!"

Groaning at the shrill yell that her mother had made, Sam rolled off her bed and landed on the floor, carefully avoiding her open laptop. "I'm coming, mom!", she yelled through her open doorway, still clutching the red and white panda bear. Sitting up from where she was on the floor, Sam ran a hand through her hair as she set the panda back on the bed with the rest of the pack of stuffed animals she had. "I'll be back up in a few minutes, Gaara," she told the toy as she paused the video.

Turning away from the collection of stuffed animals she had, she hurried out of her bedroom and down the stairs. Sliding over the tiled floor in her socks, she smiled as she saw that her twin brother was already sitting at the table with their parents. "Greetings, mom, dad, bro," she said as she sat down across the table from the black-haired boy. "Look," she said holding out her hands, "no stuffed animals. I told you I could do it." Sticking her tongue out at her twin, she laughed silently as he just shook his head.

"There was no doubt in my mind you could do it, Sam," the boy said as he picked at his food. "I mean, we're both twenty-one now. If you seriously couldn't leave without a stuffed animal in your arms, I'd be visiting you with the Joker."

"Ha, ha, Johnnie," Sam deadpanned as she took a bite of chicken. "At least I don't change boyfriends, or in your case, girlfriends, like they were yesterday's laundry."

"Kids, stop fighting." The twins looked at their father and muttered their compliance. Dinner passed slowly as the four of them ate. "Okay," their father said as he looked at the twins, "we need to have a talk after we clean up the table, Sam. There's something I need you to do for me when you go to Japan in a few weeks."

"Okay, dad." Giving her father a look that showed him that she was slightly annoyed, Sam smiled to herself as she picked up her empty plate. Quickly helping her dad with the clean up, she hummed under her breath as she put her auburn hair, which was just a few shades lighter than that of her only male cousin's hair, up in a ponytail so it wouldn't get in the way as she washed the dishes. Making fast work of the different plates and bowls that had been used, Sam smiled at her dad as she saw that her mom and twin brother had both left the room.

"So, dad," she said as she handed him a now-clean plate to put in the dishwasher, "what was it you wanted to talk to me about? Is it about 'Sakura', or maybe something to do with my apprenticeship?" For the past several years, Sam had been an apprentice under her father for the government agency he worked in. She was finally getting to the point were it was almost time for her 'final exam', so to speak, and she had been getting a bit anxious because she had no clue what it would be. Each Apprentice that was under either a Defender or a Specialist underwent a different final exam that was unique for them, depending on what they were being trained to do, and how they did it.

"Actually, it's partly about your papa, and partly about something... else."

Sam nearly dropped the cup that was in her hand back into the sink. "P-papa?", she said, stuttering slightly. "What about him? Has something happened?" Paling slightly at the idea of her pseudo-grandfather having come to harm somehow, she turned to her dad with wide blue eyes.

Her dad was quick to calm her down. "No, nothing has happened to the old man," he said as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "I'm just letting you know that there might be a possibility that you might encounter him during your stay in Japan, that's all."

The color that her cheeks had regained left again as she tensed her shoulders, her father's words ringing through her head. _What have you gotten yourself into this time, papa? I hope you know what you're doing,_ she thought as she put her hands against the lip of the sink to keep from falling. She felt the heavy weight of her father's eyes as she tried to calm herself down.

"I also fear that you will not be able to return this time, Sam." Lifting her head to look into her father's face, Sam felt a shiver run through her at his words. "You know the tasks that I have to do for my... job. Well, one of the higher ups has given me a task to take care of, but I don't fulfill the... job requirements."

"Dad, what are you saying?" Sam asked as she gazed into her father's bright, almost-unnaturally blue eyes as he searched her face for something. Seeing what he was looking for, he sighed, his fear echoing in his breath.

"Sam, I am so sorry to have to ask this of you," he said as he ran a hand through his red hair. Suddenly, he locked eyes with her as he stood up straight, lowering his hands to his sides. Clearing his throat, he spoke in a deep voice that seemed filled with a mystical force. "I, Defender Howard Montgomery, aka Eraldo Coil, aka Nightshade, formally ask Apprentice Samira Montgomery, aka Asphodel, for her help in saving the life of one L Lawliet in Universe 11395, aka the World of Death Note. If you choose to accept this mission, you will be there for the duration of most of the Kira case, and longer, if need be. Upon arrival, you will be put in charge of the mission and will report in to the closest IUSDA contact for any additional information that is not readily available for your perusal. Once you succeed in the mission, you will be offered the choice of whether you want to stay in Universe 11395 or return to Universe 1, aka the World of All Beginnings. However, if you fail, you will be forced to stay in Universe 11395 as punishment for letting the target die and will take over the target's place in the needed events. Do you accept?"

_This is serious. _That was the first thought to go through Sam's head as her father's... no, her superior's words sunk in. Steeling herself as she came to a decision that she knew she would have come to no matter what the mission was, Sam let the mystic powers deep within her flow through her body just as her Defender had taught her to. Taking a deep breath, she looked her superior in the eye and said, "I, Apprentice Samira Montgomery, aka Asphodel, accept the mission given to me by my Defender and Superior, Defender Howard Montgomery, aka Eraldo Coil, aka Nightshade."

"Then, on behalf of the Inter-Universe Security and Defense Administration," her Defender said, "I thank you for your acceptance of this mission." Suddenly, Sam found herself being almost strangled in a bear hug from the man in front of her. "I'm so proud!", the man said, as the air began to move again. "My little baby is going on her first mission!"

Putting her hands against her father's arms to try and pull them off, she struggled in his grasp. "Ugh... Can't... Breathe," she gasped out as Howard swung her around in his arms. "Dad... Put me... Down... Now!" Howard looked at her face and, seeing how blue it was getting, immediately let go of her.

"Oops." Glaring at her father as she leaned against the kitchen counter to catch her breath, Sam shook her head at him. "But, seriously, as your father and Defender, I'm proud of you, Samira."

"Thanks, dad," she said as she smiled at him. Suddenly, an idea came to her mind. "Hey dad," she said as she looked up at him with a thoughtful expression, "what do you think about me taking my entire _Death Note_ collection? I'm talking about all the manga books, including the extra ones, and all the dvds for the anime and the movies? Having them with me might help me be able to remember just what happens when, and which version of certain events is taking place."

Howard thought over his daughter's idea for a few minutes as they finally continued cleaning up the mess from dinner. "That's not a bad idea, Sam," he said finally. "In fact, I highly recommend you do so. However, I know that you most likely will be taking your... little stuffed animal collection with you, so I suggest that you come up with a different back story for that panda bear that you call 'Lawliet'."

Blushing at her father's words, Sam thrust the last plate towards him to load into the dishwasher. Nearly running out of the room, she didn't stop until she was back in her bedroom. Back in the kitchen, however, Howard was shaking his head at his daughter's actions. _She'll get through this,_ he thought as he started the dishwasher. Suddenly, he started coughing hard and couldn't stop for about two minutes. _I just hope she makes the right choice in the end._

~~~~~~~(^w\)# * #(/w^)~~~~~~~

Rushing around her room, Sam was pulling out everything she would need for her mission. _I can't believe it! I actually have my own mission!_ Dancing around her room in excitement at the thought, she couldn't stop the huge smile that appeared on her face. _And I might see papa during it, as well! This is going to be awesome! _Stopping mid-stride in the middle of her room, her eyes landed on the shelves that held her entire anime and manga collection. Looking at the volumes that belonged in the _Death Note_ series, she felt her mood drop slightly as she remembered what happened in that particular series.

"L-kun," she whispered under her breath, eyes widening in realization of what she was going to be stepping into. "Kuso, I can't believe I nearly forgot what exactly happens to you and Watari-san." Moving over to her bed, she picked up one of the many stuffed animals that was piled on top of it. Looking at the foot-tall white and black panda bear in her hands, she hugged the toy close to her chest as she sat down on her bed. Gazing around the room that she had turned into a mess with her anxiety and excitement, she felt a tear run down her cheek. "I give you my word that I'll make sure you survive this time, L," she whispered to herself. "That's a promise, isn't it, Lawliet?" Turning her eyes down to the panda in her arms, she chuckled slightly as she held it even tighter.

Gazing unseeingly around her room as she held Lawliet, she found her eyes lingering on the poster that she had taped to the wall. It was one that a friend and co-worker of her father's had given her several years back after she had expressed an interest in following in her dad's footsteps as a Defender. Sitting up as she looked at the image of a set of scales that was part of the crest for the Inter-Universe Security and Defense Administration, or IUSDA for short, an idea began forming in her mind for after she goes to the World of Death Note. _It's crazy,_ she thought as her eyes widened. _In fact, it's so crazy that it just might work. I doubt that Dad would approve of it, but I've heard the stories of others doing something like this. If it worked for them, who's to say that it won't for me?_

The wheels in her head began turning at a fast pace as she leaped up from the bed and dashed around the room, Lawliet held under one arm. Grabbing all of the items she thought she would need to make her idea work, even some she wouldn't as a just in case, she pulled out a standard issue, non-marked IUSDA bag that her father had given her five years into her apprenticeship. Carefully, so as not to damage anything, she began placing the items in the bag to take with her when she left for Universe 11395 in a few weeks. Deciding to put her entire _Death Note_ collection in the bag as well, she hoped that she would have the guts to go through with her plan when the time came.

"Okay, I feel like I'm forgetting something," she said out loud about two hours later, having packed pretty much all of her things, even her stuffed animal collection, excluding Lawliet and one or two small ones. Tapping her chin as she looked around the room, she tried to remember what it was she was forgetting about. She hit her forehead as she finally realized what it was she was missing. "Sam no baka! I nearly forgot the IDs that dad made me renew just a few months ago!" Shaking her head as she walked over to her dresser, she picked up the small pile of identification cards and a nearby black leather wallet. Putting each ID in it's spot, she made sure that she had all of the ones that she knew, or had a feeling, that she would need. "Okay," she said, "USA, Japan, England, Canada, China, I think that's it as far as countries go. I definitely can't forget my IUSDA license. Thankfully, with the technology they have, the card can change to whatever I need it to be, and all the necessary paperwork to allow for anything will already be registered in each universe thanks to the Defenders and Specialists that are in charge of Archives." Once each card was in it's proper place, along with various credit cards, Sam placed the wallet in the side pocket of her backpack.

Satisfied at the thought that she had everything she thought she would need from her room, Sam grabbed Lawliet and sat back down on her bed. Setting the panda down next to her, she reached across her bed and pulled her electric keyboard up onto her bed. Grabbing a set of headphones she had left out, she slipped them onto her head and plugged them into the headphone jack that was on the piece of equipment. Turning it on, she pressed a few keys to see what settings she had left it on the last time she had played. Frowning slightly at what she heard, she adjusted the keyboard's settings for a few minutes. Once she was happy with them, she played a few notes as warm-up before letting her fingers flow across the keys.

_This song always calms me down, _she thought as she played the very familiar tune. As she played "L's Theme", she closed her eyes as her fingers instinctively found the correct keys. Losing herself in the music, she couldn't help but feel like something big would happen during her time in Japan, something unexpected. Playing through the song at least three times before finally opening her eyes again, she moved the keyboard off the bed as she got ready to sleep.

Laying in the middle of her bed, Lawliet encased in her arms, she reached over and turned off her bedside lamp. Staring at the ceiling, she smiled slightly as she slowly drifted off to sleep. Not once did she notice her father watching her from her open door. "Dream good dreams, Samira," Howard said as he smiled wearily at the sleeping form of his daughter. "You'll need them in the coming months." With those words, he silently closed the door to Sam's room, leaving her in darkness.


	2. An Unseen Performance

_**Disclaimer: I do NOT own anything you recognize. They belong to their respective owners, and it SUCKS! (what I wouldn't give to own at least one of the characters...)**_

_**AN: I don't own the song 'Sakura Kiss'.**_

_Balancing Out Justice_

_by SamiraGranger_

**Chapter Two: An Unseen Performance**

Smiling as she looked out over the crowd, Sam couldn't help but laugh as she heard them all chanting, "Sakura! Sakura! Sakura!" As the stadium full of her fans cheered her on, Sam placed a hand over the mic that was on her head and turned towards the band and dancers that accompanied her to all the venues. Seeing them in the same state of ecstasy as her from the chanting, she couldn't help the smirk that appeared on her face. Making a decision, she hurried over to the band and had a quick conversation with them. As they all agreed with her, they spread the word amongst the dancers so they could get in position.

Walking back to the center of the stage that the tour crew had set up, Sam removed her hand from the mike and smiled widely at the crowd. "Okay, I see you won't let me and the others leave without one more song," she said as she ran a hand through her 'hair', "so, I've talked to the band, and they've agreed to do one more song! What do you think of that?" The response her words got made her think that a few dozen bombs had gone off all at once with how loud the fans were getting. "Well, here we go! Let's rock!" With those words, the sounds of drums kicked off the final song of the night.

_**"Kiss, kiss, fall in love!  
Maybe you're my love!**_

Kizukeba itsudemo  
Soba ni iru keredo  
Hounto wa kirai?suki?  
Mousou na no?

Jibun no kimochi ga  
Kuria ni mietara  
Redhi demo hosuto demo  
Kamawa nai yo

Suki ni natteku  
Riyuu wa minna  
Chigau yo ne kedo  
Maybe you're my love!

Aitai ima yasashii kimi ni  
Sakura kiss tokimeitara ranman koishi yo  
Mirai yori mo ima ga kanjin  
Uruwashi haru no koi wa hanasaku otome no bigaku

_**Tatoeba atashi no mada shira nai kimi  
Mitsukete mitai kedo kowaku mo aru**_

Denimu ni furiru ni  
Kajuaru ni chaina  
Au tabi shichihenge kakugo asobe

Tsugitsugi hiraku ai no tobira wa  
Suriru mansai danzen koishi yo

Isogashikute surechigau hi mo sakura kiss  
Setsunai hodo ranman koi desu  
Yowai toko mo uketome aou  
Fure au ai wa muteki saka sou futari wa shuyaku

Mabushii sora ni make nai  
Omoide tsukurou ima

Danzen koishi yo

Aitai ima yasashii kimi ni  
Sakura kiss tokimeitara ranman koishi yo  
Mirai yori mo ima ga kanjin uruwashi haru no koi wa  
Hanasaku otome no bigaku, yeah  
Hanasaku otome no bigaku

Kiss, kiss, fall in love  
Maybe you're my love!"

"Thank you, Tokyo! This wouldn't have been an excellent end for the tour without you all!" Waving at the hundreds of people that were screaming at her, Sam bowed with the band a few times. Finally, after about five minutes straight of bowing, all of the people on the stage made their way off. Hurrying towards the tour bus, Sam sighed as she kept to the shadows to try and avoid her many fans. Normally, she wouldn't mind staying back for a while to sign autographs, but this time she just wanted to change and start her vacation.

Arriving at the bus, she checked to make sure no one was around before pulling out her personal key for the vehicle. Quickly unlocking the door, she quietly slipped inside and locked the door behind her to keep some of the more persistent fans out. Grateful for the tinted windows that she had insisted on for her private bus that kept others from seeing in, she unpinned the orange-red wig from the bald cap she had on. Pulling the wig off, along with the bald cap and the hairnet that kept her natural hair up, she sighed as she let her long, waist length auburn hair fall free around her. _Another tour over with,_ she thought with a slight smile as she moved over to the small dresser she kept in the back of the van. Putting the hair accessories away, she looked in the mirror and frowned at her reflection as she sat down. Putting a finger to each of her eyes, she effortlessly removed the magenta contacts and put them in the cleaning solution that she had left out before the concert. Wiping her hands off with a nearby hand-towel, she picked up some make-up remover and poured some on the used towel. After removing all traces of make-up from her face, she tossed the towel across the bus and into her laundry basket.

"Much better," she muttered to herself as she slipped on her glasses and stood up from the small stool. Making her way over to the small bed that her manager had insisted she have in the bus, she rid herself of the clothes that were the signature attire of 'Hideki Sakura'. Shedding the green jacket and skirt, she tossed them on the twin-size bed she had as she removed her eggplant colored tank-top. Sitting on the bed in just her bra and remaining clothes, she removed her dark green boots that had two straps on them the same color as her top. Putting them next to her on the floor, she leaned back and ran her hands along her legs to remove the fish-net stockings that she only wore when on stage. Wadding them up in her hands, the stockings joined the small pile of clothes in the middle of the bed. Standing back up in only her bra and panties, she raided her wardrobe for more comfortable clothes. Putting on a pair of blue jeans and a short-sleeve soft purple shirt, she slid on some white socks before heading back to the front of the bus.

"Hey, Sam-chan," her manager said to her as she sat down on the small couch. "They loved you out there! Are you sure you want to go on a vacation now?" Rolling her eyes at her manager's attempt to get her to do a few more concerts before taking a break, Sam shook her head in exasperation.

"Honestly, Ayame-san," Sam said as she leaned forward to pull on a small pair of old, comfortable boots that she owned. "I want to spend some time with some family here in Japan while I have the chance. I can't really do that with you trying to get me to perform more concerts than I'm slated for. Besides, you know full-well that it's my father who is the one that schedules these things for me. Not you. You're just a figure-head so that others don't make the connection between Yugito Samui or Samira Montgomery and 'Hideki Sakura'."

Standing up to make sure the boots were on her feet correctly, Sam slipped a light-weight black hooded jacket on. Grabbing her dark, chocolate-brown messenger bag from the passenger seat of the bus, she rummaged around inside it for a second before pulling out a small slip of paper. Handing it to Ayame, she looked him in the eye. "This is the address that you will most likely find myself at for the next few months," she told him. "It's my aunt and uncle's house, and they both know that I'm heading over to visit them. It's a surprise for my younger cousins. Also, before I forget, I'm having some of the crew pack up a few things for me and sent over there. Again, my aunt and uncle already know about this. I'm just letting you know."

Stepping out of the tour bus, Sam turned and gave Ayame a blank stare. "Know this, Uchiha Ayame," she said in a monotonous voice, "if I find out you tried to do something to myself, my reputation, or anything else that is mine, you will not only be fired, but you will never be able to get another job as someone's manager. You're only mine as a favor to my father, understand?" Not waiting for a response from the man, Sam went over to the back of the tour bus and opened a hidden latch.

Raising the door to the well-hidden compartment, she grabbed the backpack she had prepacked and slung it over her shoulders. Wheeling an expensive black motorcycle out of the compartment, she moved it into a position where she could easily start it up and leave. Swinging a leg over it, she straddled the machine as she pulled the spare hair-tie she had left on one of the handles around her wrist and quickly put her long hair up in a ponytail. Putting on the dark purple helmet that had also been on the handlebars, she pulled out the key from her jacket pocket and inserted it into the ignition. Revving up the engine, she pulled her feet up and rode out of the parking lot and into the busy Tokyo streets.

Driving within the speed limit, Sam wove in and out of the mass of vehicles that made up the typical busy city traffic. _Now then,_ she thought as she made her way to the suburbs of the huge city, _once I arrive at my aunt and uncle's house, I'm going to have to somehow figure out a __way to gain access to either the police force or Watari-san. I doubt that it's going to be as simple as it sounds. _Thinking about the family that her mother's younger sister had created, Sam smiled nervously as she tried to picture what they looked like. "This is going to be interesting," she said to herself as she hugged the curve while turning. "I've only ever talked to my aunt, uncle, and cousins though letters and e-mails. Mom even forbid me from using the IUSDA database to find pictures, videos, or even audio of them when I went through that hacking-phase back when I was fifteen."

Shaking her head to try and clear it of the memories, Sam couldn't help but frown as she realized that, since this _would_ be the first time she has met her mother's sister and her family, she really had no clue what type of reaction to expect from them. She knew that her uncle was part of the police force and that her aunt was a stay-at-home mom, while her cousins were not only younger than her, but almost total opposites. _Come to think of it, has mom ever sent them a picture of what __**I**__ look like so they know what to watch for?_ With that thought now floating around her mind, she sighed as she began slowing down as she drew closer to the address that her mom had given her to locate her family.

Several minutes passed as she drove through the quiet streets, the sun shining down on her back. "I am SO grateful to whoever decided it would be a good idea to schedule that last concert during the day," she muttered to herself as she turned onto the correct street. Her aunt's address appeared in her head as she checked each house, trying to find the correct one. Finding it after a few moments, she couldn't help but get the feeling that she had seen the home before someplace. Shrugging off the feeling, she carefully pulled up close to the house and parked her motorcycle.

Making sure that the bike was completely off and wouldn't fall, she got off of it and turned to face the home of her aunt and her family. "Okay, you can do this," she whispered to herself as she took off her helmet and placed it on the handlebars of the bike. Walking up to the door of the house, Sam raised a shaking fist and knocked a few times on the door. _Please, be home,_ she couldn't help but think despite her nerves.

Slowly, the door opened and revealed an older woman that had short brown hair and dark eyes. When the woman saw her, Sam saw that she had a curious expression on her face. "Hello, may I help you?", the woman asked, a small smile playing on her lips.

"Konnichiwa. Um, Sachi-obasan? I'm your niece, Yugito Samui." After introducing herself to her aunt, Sam nervously raised a hand and rubbed the back of her neck. Watching to see what the woman's reaction would be, she saw her eyes widen as Sam's words sunk in.

"Ah! Come in, Samui-chan," the woman said as she finally recognized her niece. "It's good to finally meet one of my older sister's children."

"Arigato, Sachi-obasan," Sam said as she stepped into the house. Removing her boots as she tried to recall all of the Japanese manners that her mother had drilled into her since she was little, Sam smiled at her aunt. "And, please, just call me Sam, Sachi-obasan. Everyone calls me that."

"Okay, Sam-chan." As the two of them sat down at the dining table, Sam's aunt asked, "So, Sam-chan, what brings you to Japan, finally?"

"I actually had a performance scheduled nearby, and was able to get some time off," she said as she smiled at her aunt. "Sachi-obasan, I hope you don't mind my asking, but, okaasan never really told me what your name was. She just told me to call you 'Sachi-obasan', so I honestly have no idea what your family name is now."

"That sounds like onee-chan," her aunt said as she shook her head, pouring tea into two cups. "Always making sure that everyone never had all the information that they would need. I'm honestly surprised that she actually gave you our address." Handing Sam one of the cups of tea, she said, "Well, I guess it wouldn't hurt. In fact, I insist that you know. My name nowadays is Yagami Sachiko."

Hearing her aunt's name, Sam nearly choked on her tea as she took a sip. _THAT'S why I thought the house looked familiar!,_ she thought as she looked around the room. _Wait a minute, that means..._ Her eyes widened as the implications of her aunt's name fully hit her. _I'm related to Light? Kuso, this sucks..._

"Wow," Sam said as she looked at her aunt with wide eyes. "Am I correct in guessing that the chief of the NPA, Yagami Soichiro, is your husband?" Seeing that Sachiko's eyes were now wide as well, Sam chuckled slightly as she rubbed her neck again. "I... kinda want to go into the police force if music doesn't cut it for me, and since I was visiting the area, I thought I should look into NPA and see who was who." Looking a little sheepish as she took a drink of her tea, Sam thought, _Nice save there, Sam._

"That's a surprise," Sachiko said as she looked at her niece, finding it relatively easy to relax around the girl. "Did your ojisan talk about his work in his letters to you? I know that I didn't..."

Laughing at the thought of her uncle talking about his work in his letters, Sam shook her head. "No, he didn't, Sachi-obasan," she said as she felt some of the nervous tension leave her. "Actually, it was otousan who got me interested in law-enforcement. He was part of the American and Mexican Underworld for years before he turned around and became a police officer." After revealing that fact to her aunt, the two of them traded stories of the officers in their lives while they waited for Sam's cousins to return home from school.

A few hours later, they heard the sound of the front door opening. Turning in her seat, Sam watched as a young girl that looked like she was in junior high school walked in. Seeing her chocolate-brown hair and eyes, she realized that this was her cousin, Yagami Sayu. Thankfully, some of the stories that had been shared with her were of Sayu and her older brother, Light.

"Okaasan, who's this?", Sayu said as she sat down next to her mother.

"Sayu, this is your older cousin, Yugito Samui."

"Hey, Sayu-san," Sam said as she smiled at her cousin. "It's nice to finally meet you. Please, call me Sam." Looking her cousin over, Sam noticed that Sayu had a small pin attached to her schoolbag that was hidden slightly by a fold in the the side. "Is that a Gir badge?", she asked the girl curiously.

Sayu blushed as if she didn't want others to know about the tiny pin on her bag. "Y-yeah, it is," she said as she set the bag on the table and began pulling out her school assignments.

"Awesome," Sam said as she looked at her cousin with a huge smile on her face. "A friend of mine back in the United States got me hooked on that character, as well. Isn't _Invader Zim_ cool?" As they talked about something that they were glad they had in common, Sam looked at the books and manga Sayu was pulling out. _I'd offer to help her with the work, but it's been so long since I was in school..._

"Okaasan, Sayu-chan, I'm home." Stiffening slightly as she heard the male voice, Sam glanced up from the volume of _Naruto_ that she was looking through while Sayu worked. Turning to see the new arrival, Sam let Sachiko and Sayu do the introductions as she gazed into the innocent-looking face of a killer. "It's nice to meet you, Samui-san," he said as he smiled at Sam.

"Please, just 'Sam', Light-kun," Sam said as she sent a fake-smile his way while giving him a once over. Noticing the corner of a black book poking out of his bag, she felt a sense of darkness emanating from him as they looked at each other. Taking a quick look at her watch, she 'gasped' as she saw the time. "Kuso! I have to go," she muttered under her breath as she stood up from the table. "Gomen, but I have to get to an appointment that I set up weeks ago with one of the local realtor's offices. I still have to sign the paperwork for my new apartment." Making her good-byes as she put her shoes back on, she smiled at them.

"Ja ne, Sayu-chan, Light-kun, Sachi-obasan," she said as she closed the door behind her. Walking back over to her motorcycle, she waited until after she had slipped on her helmet to begin to panic. _Damn it! He already has the Death Note,_ she thought as she put her key in the ignition. Starting the motorcycle, she turned it on and sped off into the city.


	3. Practice Makes Perfect

_**Disclaimer: I do NOT own anything you recognize. They belong to their respective owners, and it SUCKS! (what I wouldn't give to own at least one of the characters...)**_

_**AN: Just to let you know, I'm basing some characters, my OCs that is, on actual people I know, friends, family, that sort of thing. Also, one of them has the same first name as myself, and I chose the name (actually used for the majority of my heroines) because, even though I don't like my name, it does make a good name for a character. Plus, there are just so many different nicknames for it, I thought it'd be a good idea!**_

_Balancing Out Justice_

_by SamiraGranger_

**Chapter Three: Practice Makes Perfect**

Taking a bottle of Dr. Pepper out of her fridge, Sam sighed as she walked over to the dining room table. Looking at the papers scattered all over the piece of furniture, she shook her head as she opened the bottle and took a long drink of the cold beverage. Setting the soda to the side, she picked up a file of paper in each hand. Looking between the two files, she set one back down as she leaned against the table. "Okay, I need to find out just when in the time line I arrived at," she said to herself as she casually flipped through the file. "I know that it's before the To-oh entrance exam, at least, since Light is still in his last year of regular schooling."

Not really reading the file in her hands, Sam tried to think of ways to get the information she would need while still staying relatively under L's radar. _I got nothing, except...,_ she thought as she made her way into the living room. File still in hand, she sat down at the desk she had her laptop on and pulled up the official IUSDA website. Using one hand, she logged in using her agent name and serial number. Clicking on the link that had been attached to her profile that led to the NPA's homepage, she searched the corners of the page for the hidden link that each website had, thanks to the IUSDA. Finding it after a few minutes, she hit it and waited a few moments as the hackers that had taught her what to do got her into the site. Looking through the various files, she looked around and quickly found her uncle's files. Opening up his most recent folders, after hacking past his password, Sam skimmed through the files that were relevant to the Kira case.

"Okay," she said, getting settled down in her seat, "what do you know, Soichi-ojisan?" Reading her uncle's latest report about the new murderer that had popped up, she groaned at what she had read. Re-reading the report to make sure that she had read correctly, she sighed as she realized that, apparently, L was going to be making his first move soon. "Kuso!" Standing up as she jerked away from the desk, Sam stomped into her dining room and violently grabbed her drink. Gulping the liquid down like a college-student would a beer, she tried to calm herself down.

Wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, she reached across the dining table and picked up the plastic-wrapped package she would have to open earlier than she thought. Tearing through the plastic and into the package, she dumped the contents of the box on top of the various papers scattered about. Tossing the now-empty bottle behind her, she paused for a few seconds and nodded as she heard it enter the trash can she had inside the kitchen next to the fridge, about ten feet behind her. Rummaging through the packing peanuts, she pulled out a small electronic device that looked similar enough to an iPod touch to be mistaken for one. "Looks like I'll be putting this little baby to use sooner, rather than later," she told herself as she turned the device over in her hands.

"Sam-chan, are you here?"

Hearing a now-familiar feminine voice echo through her new house, Sam cursed under her breath. "I'm here, Sayu-chan! Give me a few minutes to clean up a bit before you enter the dining room, okay?" Calling out to her cousin, she moved quickly, cleaning up the mess she had made over the past few days with all the papers she had printed out. Putting everything in their proper places, she closed her laptop before she walked over to the doorway that led towards the front hall of her house. Seeing Sayu standing there with her shoes already off, Sam smiled at the younger girl and gestured for her to follow her to one of the back rooms. "So, Sayu-chan," Sam said as she slung an arm around her shoulders, "how was school today?"

Sayu groaned at the question. "He did it again, Sam-chan," she said in a soft voice, no louder than a whisper.

Sam sighed and shook her head. "Your sensei shouldn't do that, Sayu," Sam told the girl as she led her into a room that was devoid of any items except for a keyboard piano and a stereo, both against the wall. Dragging the girl over to the keyboard, Sam let go of her shoulders and nodded her head to the side of the instrument. "Usual spot, Sayu-chan. Let's see how well you have been practicing lately." Pressing a key on the keyboard after turning it on, she led her cousin through the scales.

Barely a few hours after having left the Yagami family nearly a week ago, and finding out her father had bought her a house instead of an apartment, Sam had had a message sent to them that gave them her new address just in case they wanted to contact her. Not even a day later, Sayu appeared on her doorstep with tears running down her cheeks. Apparently, there had been some girls that had been bullying her for years because of her wish to become a famous singer someday. How they had found out, Sayu had no clue, for it was something she had never told anyone before. A few teachers had been nearby and had done nothing to stop it, all of them believing the same as the bullies. They thought that the sister of Yagami Light should follow in her genius-brother's footsteps. Sayu had spent the night in Sam's guest room, being comforted by her new-found, but not unfamiliar, cousin. The next day, Sam had accompanied her cousin to the school and demanded to know which teachers and students had caused the emotional and mental harm to her cousin. After being told who was responsible, Sam had gathered all of them into the principal's office, and let the principal of the school be the witness to her challenge. The challenge was a Match of Voices, to be held a month from the issue date. If the bullies beat Sayu in the Match of Voices, Sayu would concentrate more on her studies. However, if Sayu won, the bullies and the teachers that stood by would not only be punished, but swear to never mess with her again.

"Okay, that's enough for warm-ups," Sam said as she shook the memory from her head. Looking at the bright doe-eyes of her cousin, Sam smiled. "Do you have any idea of what you want to sing for the Match? You only have just over three weeks left to practice and fine-tune whatever song you decide to sing."

"Well, I was wondering if you had any suggestions, Sam-chan." Sayu gazed into Sam's eyes with a begging look. "Please, I don't know what to sing!"

Sighing at the position her cousin had put her in, again, Sam thought about it for a little bit. _Okay, then, _she thought. _Sayu has a good voice, I'll admit that. She just needs some voice lessons, and she could be great. However, right now, her voice has a slightly grainy quality to it, I guess. What songs do I know that she could learn fast, and easily?_ Just as the thought finished, a song immediately came to her mind. The only problem she could see with the song was, however, how well did Sayu know English?

"Sayu, how well do you speak English?" Sam asked, subconsciously slipping into the language.

"I'd say pretty well, considering that you just asked me that in English, Sam-chan." Looking at the girl in surprise as Sayu responded in the language, Sam chuckled.

"Okay," she said as she turned to go over to her stereo, still speaking English. "That answer's that question, then. I think I have the perfect song for you to sing, Sayu. It is, in my opinion, a good match for what your voice is like right now. We just need to tweak it a little bit so that you are comfortable with it." As she pulled out her mp3 player and attached it to the stereo, Sam quickly put the correct song on and hit play and repeat. "Now, I want you to listen to the song a few times to get a feel for it," Sam said as she stood up from her slight-squatting position. "This is a relatively easy song to learn. I'll even do the back-up vocals for you when you feel you have it memorized and are ready to sing it without my help." _I just hope she doesn't find out that I'm 'Sakura' during these little sessions._

After listening to the song at least five times, Sayu nodded to Sam to tell her that she was ready to begin practicing the song with her guidance. Singing the song with Sam correcting her notes every now and then, since they didn't have any sheet music for it and had to go by what they heard, Sayu didn't notice the time fly by as she sang. Looking up at the clock that was next to the door of the room quite a while later, Sayu's eyes widened in alarm. "Kuso!", she cried out in the middle of a note. "I'm SO dead! I was supposed to be home an hour ago!"

The two girls ran out of the room after turning the stereo off. Speeding through the house to the front door, Sam laughed at her panicked cousin as she grabbed her schoolbag and tried to stuff her feet into her shoes. Opening the front door for the young girl, Sam stopped mid-laugh as she saw Light standing there, hand raised like he was about to knock. "Konnichiwa, Light-kun," Sam said as she looked at the seventeen-year-old with a blank expression.

"Samui-san," Light said in greeting. "I guess you know why I'm here, then. Sayu, hurry up, mom wants you back home before we begin eating dinner." The two of them looked at each other with calculating eyes as Sayu finally gave in and sat down on the floor to properly put on her shoes.

"Hai, hai, Light." Sayu rolled her eyes at her older brother. "We just lost track of time again. I really want to win this challenge, you know."

Light chuckled at his little sister's words. "I know, Sayu," he said as he put a hand on top of her head, ruffling her hair slightly. "You wouldn't be you if you didn't."

Sam had to keep herself from reaching out and pushing his hand off the girl. _You will end up making a mess of your family, Light,_ she thought as she watched the two of them. _What's today, again? I'm always forgetting the date..._ Internally grimacing, Sam turned towards Light and asked, "Hey, Light-kun, you wouldn't happen to know today's date, would you? I always forget, and I never remember to get a calendar whenever I go to the store."

Light looked at her with laughing eyes as he helped Sayu stand back up. "Today's the thirtieth of November, Samui-san," he said with a small smile. "How do you remember to do all the stuff you do, if you can't even remember the date?"

Sneering at the jibe, Sam shook her head as she nudged the two teens out the door. "Never you mind that, Light-kun," she said as she checked the street for any others that were around. "Besides, if what Sayu-chan told me the other day was correct, you nearly forgot that you had a dentist appointment recently." Seeing the young man blush at the reminder, Sam smirked as Sayu laughed at him. "Ja ne, you two. Be careful on your way back home."

Standing there watching as the two of them walked away from her little house, which was actually pretty close to the Yagami household, Sam sighed as she thought of what had already happened. "You're going to be the death of me, Yagami Light," she muttered to herself as she saw them turn the corner. "Whether literally or figuratively, I don't know." Stepping back into her house, Sam closed the door behind her and firmly locked it.

Making her way over to the papers that she had pretty much just shoved aside when Sayu had arrived, she picked up the previous day's newspaper and looked at it. Cutting out two different articles, one about the recent kidnapper that was killed by cardiac arrest, and the other about some guy that was in a motorcycle accident, Sam carefully put the pieces of newspaper in plastic sleeves. Putting the sleeves in one of her spare binders, Sam set the binder to the side. Looking down, she noticed that she had accidentally left one of the file folders from earlier out and it had found its way to the floor. Picking it up to put it back in one of the boxes that were still scattered around the room, she paused as she saw the name on the folder. _Matsuda Touta,_ she thought as she looked at the file with wonder.

Bringing the file with her as she walked through the house, turning out the lights, Sam opened the file and skimmed through what it said on the man. Making her way to her bedroom, she slipped into a pair of black pajama pants and a white tank top before sitting on her futon, Matsuda Touta's file in front of her. _He's going to be the youngest official member on the KTF, so I will probably have to find a way to befriend him soon, _she thought as she looked at his information. Her eyebrows raised as she saw something that she wasn't really expecting in the file.

"Well, hello there," she muttered as she placed her index finger against her chin. "This changes things significantly. Guess you were pretty good at hiding this, eh, Matsuda?" There on the page, in black and white, was something that she never would have expected from the lovable/bumbling idiot that most _Death Note_ fans put in the same category as one Amane Misa in terms of stupidity. "You're actually pretty darn smart, aren't ya? If you had been in the United States, you would have been called the salutatorian of your class." Impressed, Sam couldn't help but think that she just _had_ to befriend him now.

"I still have to go to the NPA office at some point anyways to check in with the local representative for the IUSDA, so I might as well try then," she told herself as she closed the file and set it to the side. Looking around her room, she sighed as she shivered with a small amount of fear. Glaring at the blank, white walls that surrounded her, she laid back on the dark purple futon. "Need to do something about that," she whispered as she began to feel more alone than she had in a long time.

Reaching over to the pile of stuffed animals that were on the floor nearby, she randomly grabbed one and held it in her arms. Glancing down at the toy, she saw that it was the foot-tall brown and black teddy bear that one of her best friends had given her a few years back. "I'm kinda scared, Scarey," she muttered to the bear, holding it close to her to try and ward off the fear creeping into her. "I'm scared that I'll be all alone during this mission. I'm scared that I will mess up and let _him_ die. I'm scared that I won't be able to get back to mom, dad, and John. I'm scared that I'll get too attached to Light as a cousin and let that get in my way." Stretching one hand up to turn off her lamp, she sighed. Closing her eyes to try and get some sleep, she wasn't aware of when she uttered one last confession to the toy bear. "I'm scared that I'll lose sight of who I am while here."

~~~~~~~(^w\)# * #(/w^)~~~~~~~

"Excuse me, but you wouldn't happen to be able to point me in the direction of Detective Hatake Kaoru's office, would you?" Looking at the secretary in front of her, Sam smiled at her and handed the older woman her IUSDA badge, disguised as a badge that distinguished her as a member of the CIA. "I'm Detective Yugito. Detective Hatake should be expecting me."

"Right this way, detective-san," the woman said as she stood up and walked around the desk. "Hatake-san's office is in this direction." Following behind the woman as she led the way to Detective Hatake's office, Sam casually looked around the various hallways and offices that they passed to get a feel for the place. It didn't take them long to reach the open door to the detective's office. "Here we are. I hope you have a good day, Detective Yugito-san."

Nodding to the woman, Sam smiled as she watched her walk away. Taking a deep breath, she hesitantly knocked on the doorway to the office. "Detective Hatake Kaoru? If I could have a moment of your time, sir," she said as she looked at the older gentleman that was sitting in the office. Seeing him motion for her to come in, she entered the office and closed the door behind her. "I'm Detective Yugito Samui. It's an honor to meet you, Detective Hatake." Handing the man her badge, Sam stood there while he checked it over.

"Well, then, Detective Yugito," Hatake said with a deep chuckle as he handed her back her IUSDA badge, "what can I do for a... _CIA_ agent?"

Sam let out the breath she didn't know she was holding. "Detective Hatake, I've been tasked with making sure a certain other, well-known and well-hidden detective survives his next case, which will be taking place here in Japan," she told the man. Taking a small card out of her pocket, she handed the card to the detective. "That's the pass-code for the details of my mission. Is there anything that you could do to help me with getting closer to the target?"

Hatake looked at her with knowing eyes. "As the one that assigns new detectives their places in the force, I can easily place you under the supervision of the main detective that will take the case," he told her with a stony look. "I just need to know if you have an idea of who will be given the case initially."

Answering the man's gaze with a stony expression of her own, Sam told him, "I know exactly who will be put in charge of the case. Chief Yagami Soichiro."

"In that case," Hatake said as he stood up from his chair, "go ahead and take a seat. I'll get someone to go get Chief Yagami and bring him here. Just from what you've told me, you're going to need all the help you can get for this mission of your's."

Sitting down like the man had suggested, Sam tried to relax as she heard more than saw the well-hidden Defender walk out of his office. _Well, at least I've checked in with the IUSDA now,_ she thought as she waited for Defender Hatake to return with the chief. Despite having her nervousness increase as she sat in the silence of the office, she couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement as she held back a small smile.

"So, Hatake-san, what is this about?" At the sound of the male voice through the closed door behind her, Sam sat up straight as she heard the door open and the two men walk in.

"Yagami-san, this is the newest addition to your team, Detective Yugito Samui," Hatake said as he walked to stand in front of Sam. Seeing her superior's signal for her to greet the chief, Sam stood up and turned around. Staring at Chief Yagami, Sam felt a strong tug of loyalty flow through her for the man.

"Chief Yagami-san," she said as she bowed to him, "it is an honor to work under a man such as yourself." She became at least three times more nervous as she straightened up from the bow. Looking at the middle-aged man in glasses, Sam tried to smile at him.

"Yugito, huh?" Chief Yagami put a hand against his chin in thought. "That name sounds very familiar..."

"As it should, Yagami-san." Stepping around the chair in between them, Sam felt her chest clench as she fought to keep the smile on her face. "It's great to finally get to talk to you face-to-face instead of through letters and e-mails, Soichi-ojisan."

"S-Sam-chan?!" Yagami Soichiro gasped as the realization of just who the young woman in front of him was, and why her family name had sounded so familiar. "I... How did you come to be here, in Japan?"

Chuckling at her uncle's response to meeting her, Sam turned to Detective Hatake and raised an eyebrow at him in silent questioning of if they could be dismissed. Seeing him nod his approval, Sam felt most of her nerves leave her as she finally began to relax. Turning back to her uncle, she moved towards him and link her arm with his. "I'll tell you later, Soichi-ojisan," she told him as she smiled up at him. "Since I'm now working under you here in the NPA, why don't you show me where I'll be working?"

Laughing at his niece's words, Soichiro shook his head at her antics. "You really are the same in person as you are on paper, aren't you, Sam-chan?", he said as they just walked a few feet down the hallway and into what looked like a cross between a meeting room and a classroom. Looking around the room at the group of men working at the various tables, Soichiro cleared his throat to get their attention. Once he had everyone's attention, he unhooked his arm from Sam's grasp and gave the detectives under his charge a level look.

"We have a new addition to our team," he told them as they openly stared at Sam. "This is Detective Yugito Samui. She has moved here to Japan from the USA with the express purpose of joining our division." Giving all of the men in the room a hard stare, he continued. "I want to make a few things clear right now about Yugito-san. First of all, there will be no discrimination against her because of her age, gender, or heritage. She's half Japanese and half American. Second, if you have a problem working with her, feel free to tell me and I'll get you reassigned to another detective team. Third, don't provoke her. I may not have seen her abilities first-hand, but I know for a fact that she can take care of herself. Do we have an understanding?"

"Yes, Chief."

"Sure thing, Chief."

"No problem, Chief!"

Smiling at the welcome she had gotten from most of the men on the team, Sam chuckled softly as she saw the dumbfounded expressions some of them had. "Sam-chan, come with me," she heard her uncle say next to her as she tried to commit every face to memory. "I'll introduce you to your new partner on the force."

"Okay, Yagami-san," she said.

Soichiro chuckled at the form of address that she had used. "Seeing how long it will take them, then, Sam-chan? Go right ahead. If one of them figures it out by the end of the day, you can call me whatever you want," he told her in a low voice that only she heard. "If not, you have to call me 'Chief' or 'Yagami-san' for the entire time we're working." With that said, he lead her to a table that had only one man sitting at it, diligently working. "Matsuda-kun, I'm assigning Yugito-san to be your partner," he told the man that was now gaping at them.

"S-sure thing, Chief!"

Smiling at the enthusiastic look in the man's brown eyes, Sam couldn't help but think that he was cute, with his longish black hair. "I'm Matsuda Touta, Yugito-san," he said, introducing himself to her. "I hope that you don't mind being my partner. I'm... still new to the team."

Sitting down next to Matsuda, Sam couldn't wipe the smile from her face as she thought that winning the unofficial bet between her and her uncle was going to be easy now. "It's very nice to meet you, Matsuda-san," she said as she looked over his shoulder at the papers he was looking at. "You already know my name, but please, call me Sam, or even Samui. Pretty much everyone does."

"Okay, Samui-chan," Matsuda said as he looked at the cute girl with long auburn hair and bright blue eyes that sat with him. _I feel like I've seen her before,_ Matsuda thought as he just looked at Sam. "You... wouldn't happen to be related to the Chief in someway, would you?", he asked as they started going over the day's newspaper.

Staring at Matsuda after he had said that, Sam's eyes widened. _He's figuring it out pretty fast for someone that most of the others think is stupid, _she thought. _Then again, I'm not really all that surprised._ Chuckling again, she felt her smile grow. "You're close," she told him, "but not quite correct. I am related to Yagami-san, but not in the way you are probably thinking."

Matsuda pondered her words as he turned the page. "If you are related to him, but not, then..." His eyes widened as he put the pieces together. Suddenly, he blurted out, "You're the Chief's niece! I thought your name was familiar!" It was like time froze as the others in the room turned to look at them. Matsuda sweat-dropped as he noticed the stares being directed at them. Sam began laughing. "Huh?" Matsuda glanced at Sam in shock.

"M-Matsuda was the one to figure it out?" Soichiro stammered out the words as he looked at the young detective sitting next to his niece.

"Yep!" Sam looked at her uncle and smirked. "Guess I win, then, huh? Soichi-ojisan?" Seeing the older man remove his glasses and rub his eyes, Sam turned back to Matsuda and smiled. "Thanks, Matsuda-san. I can now call Soichi-ojisan just that whenever I want now!" Ignoring the eyes that were drilling into her, Sam sat back down and pulled the newspaper closer to her. _This is going to be fun, I can tell._


	4. The Start of Something New

_**Disclaimer: I do NOT own anything you recognize. They belong to their respective owners, and it SUCKS! (what I wouldn't give to own at least one of the characters...)**_

_**AN: Just to let you know, I'm basing some characters, my OCs that is, on actual people I know, friends, family, that sort of thing. Also, one of them has the same first name as myself, and I chose the name (actually used for the majority of my heroines) because, even though I don't like my name, it does make a good name for a character. Plus, there are just so many different nicknames for it, I thought it'd be a good idea!**_

_Balancing Out Justice_

_by SamiraGranger_

**Chapter Four: The Start of Something New**

"And... Done!" Sam smiled as she saved the document and exited out of the program.

"What did you just finish, Samui-chan?" Not looking up at her partner as she shut down the laptop, Sam hid an eye-roll as she smiled slightly.

"It's nothing, really," she said after she slipped the laptop back in her messenger bag. Matsuda gave her a look that she had quickly become familiar with over the past few days. Groaning, Sam cursed under her breath. "Fine, I'll tell you, Matsuda-san," she ground out as she turned from his 'puppy-dog-eyes'. "Are you at all familiar with a detective that goes by the name 'L'?"

Matsuda thought for a second. "No," he finally said. "Is she cute?"

Face-palming at his words, Sam said, "Matsuda, _he_ goes by 'L', as in the letter from the alphabet, and no one knows what he looks like. L is very secretive, but he's the greatest detective this world has seen in years." Patting the chair next to her to get her partner to sit down, Sam continued. "He has never taken a case yet that he hasn't been able to crack. There have been cold-cases and many other cases that had been deemed unsolvable that he has chosen to pursue. He solved all of them, every last one." As she sat there telling Matsuda about L, she didn't know that, nearby, a man in a long black suit and hat, holding a briefcase, was listening to her as well. "I have a deep admiration for L for doing what he has done. At the same time, however, I remind myself that, despite the fact that he hides behind the letter, he's just as human as the rest of us. That is why, whenever I find the time to spare, I have been searching the internet for any and all credible accounts of the cases he has taken on. You see, I've been putting the information together to make one reliable website for anyone that wants to find out more about his cases."

"But, didn't you pretty much just say that he 'hides behind the letter'?", Matsuda asked her.

Sam chuckled at her partner, happy that she could get him to show her that he was definitely smarter than he looked. "Correct, Matsuda-san," she told him. "I did say that. Just because I'm trying to make a website about his cases doesn't mean that I'm making it be about him. Yes, I'll freely admit that I'm curious about what he looks like and how he acts, but I know that the chance of meeting him is about a one percent chance, if that. I'd truly love to meet him one day, if only to thank him for what he's done in various countries by solving all those cases. Especially since, according to the rumors floating around the web, he only takes on cases that he finds interesting."

Hearing the faint sound of someone chuckling, Sam looked up and glanced around the hallway. Taking notice of the man that had been listening in on the mostly one-sided conversation she was having with Matsuda, her eyes widened slightly as she took in his appearance. _Long black suit, a hat that covers his face, and a briefcase that seems to be big enough for a laptop, speakers, and a microphone,_ she thought. _That's L's handler, and father figure, Watari! I can't believe I almost forgot about this!_

"Samui-chan, what is it?" Hearing Matsuda trying to get her attention, Sam turned back to him and smiled.

"Sorry about that, Matsuda-san," she apologized as she looked at her watch. Seeing that it was getting pretty close to time for the ICPO meeting to start, she sighed. "Listen, Matsuda-san, you might want to go find Soichi-ojisan now. It's getting pretty close to the time for the meeting to start." Giving the man that was only a few years older than her a glare, she raised an eyebrow and stated, "You don't want the chief to regret asking you to tag along, do you? The both of you dragged me here, so I'll have to wait out here. I want you to pay attention, and remember what I told you about L. I've got this feeling that he just might be interested in the Kira case."

"Sure thing, Samui-chan!" Watching as her partner stood up and hurried down the hallway to find their boss, Sam rolled her eyes as she saw him nearly trip over his own feet.

Sam waited a few seconds after Matsuda had disappeared down the hall before standing up herself. Picking up her messenger bag, she slung it across her shoulder as she sighed. Trying to look as casual as possible, she decided to attempt the next step in her plan to try and complete her mission to save L's life. Walking in the direction that the man she thought was Watari was standing in, she paused just a few steps away from him. "Excuse me," she said in a soft voice that she hoped was loud enough for only the man in front of her to hear. "Are you... Watari, the man that is said to be L's handler?"

The man chuckled again at her inquiry. "If I was," he said, "what would you do with the knowledge?" He had neither confirmed nor denied her question.

For some reason, Sam felt that she could be truthful with this man about why she was here, even if she couldn't see his expression. Taking a deep breath, because she already knew that he _was_ Watari, she looked at his hidden face. "I would formally ask for your help in a matter that could change everything that might happen in the future, as long as L wasn't listening in," she told him. "The words I have to say are not meant for the ears of the world's greatest detective."

"In that case," Watari said, "I am who you think I am. Please, let us move this to a more secure setting." Sam followed the old man into an empty room that was just behind him. Standing just a few meters inside the room, she watched as he closed the door and locked it. Watari placed the briefcase that held L's laptop on a nearby table. "Now then, how may I be able to help you, my dear?", he asked Sam as he looked at her.

"First, I ask you to listen to what I have to say with an open mind, Watari-san," she said as she took her wallet out of her back pocket. Opening the wallet, she pulled out her IUSDA badge and handed it to him, undisguised. Watching him as he looked the badge over, she said, "I am Apprentice Asphodel of the Inter-Universe Security and Defense Administration. I have been given a mission by Defender Nightshade that revolves around one L Lawliet."

Sam could feel the heavy stare that Watari sent her way at the mention of L's true name. Quickly, she began to explain the details of her mission. "I'm tasked with the responsibility of making sure that L survives the Kira case," she told him. "I know nearly everything that has happened, is happening, and will happen with this case. At some point during this case, L will die by Kira's hand. My superiors don't want him dead at this murderer's hands. I have to find a way to stop his death, and keep him alive throughout the rest of the case. As part of keeping him alive, and to keep an eye on him, I ask for your help, Watari-san." Bowing low to the man, Sam lowered herself to one knee as a sign of how much she respected him.

"Well, Samira," Watari said as he looked at the young woman that was kneeling in front of him, "this is going to be an interesting case, isn't it, my dear?" Sam looked up at him at his words. "You have my help, young one."

"Thank you, Watari-san," Sam said as she smiled in relief, knowing that she now had an ally that she could converse with about her mission. "On behalf of the IUSDA, I am honored to accept your help with this mission."

"How could I not help? Especially when you are the one asking for it?"

Sam froze as she watched Watari pick up his briefcase and leave the room. Going over his words in her head, she recalled one of the things her father had told her before she had accepted this mission. '_I'm just letting you know that there might be a possibility that you might encounter him during your stay in Japan, that's all.' P-papa?_ Her mind racing, Sam stumbled slightly as she walked out of the room. _Quillish Wammy is my Papa?_

Moving out of the way of the various men that were making their way into the meeting room, Sam sat down on a nearby bench, stunned at the revelation. "I'll need to be extra careful, now," she whispered in a voice so low that she could barely even hear herself. "_He_ isn't the only one that relies on his guidance. I have to save him as well." With those words, she got settled for a _long_ wait for the meeting to not only start, but end, so she could return home and prepare for the next day.

~~~~~~~(^w\)# * #(/w^)~~~~~~~

"..ui, Samui, wake up..."

Jolting awake as someone shook her shoulder, Sam bolted up from where she had fallen asleep on the bench. Looking around her, she saw that her uncle was quietly laughing at her. "Quit laughing at me, Soichi-ojisan," she groaned as she stood up. Stretching her back a little, she looked around and saw that Matsuda and her uncle were standing next to the bench, patiently waiting on her to fully awaken from her impromptu nap. "Sorry about that, Chief, Matsuda-san," she said as she slung her messenger bag back around her shoulder.

"It's no problem, Samui-chan," Soichiro said as he put a hand around her shoulders. "I'm sorry I had to drag you along with Matsuda and myself. If there had been a way, I would have let you stay home today."

"You wouldn't have made me come along if you didn't have something planned, Soichi-ojisan," Sam said as she narrowed her eyes at her uncle. "You forget, I may have only just met you, but I've been talking with you for at least fifteen years now. I think I have a good idea of what your personality is like."

Sam grabbed Matsuda's arm as they passed to drag him along with her. "So?", she asked the two men. "How was the meeting?"

"L is now involved in this case."

She stopped in her steps at Soichiro's words. Relying on the acting skills that her father had drilled into her for years, Sam looked at him with wide eyes. "W-what? L is taking the case? The world's greatest detective? _That_ L?"

"Y-yeah, it was kinda like what you said earlier, Samui-chan," Matsuda said as he tried to keep from slamming into Sam after her sudden stop. "When some of the other nations were talking about bringing in L, Watari-san showed up and told us that he was already on the move."

_I guess this means that I can finally begin that idea I had while in my bedroom tomorrow,_ Sam thought as she let Soichiro and Matsuda lead her out of the building and towards her uncle's car. Grinning as the realization that she would actually be working _alongside_ not only her favorite anime character, but one of the few people that she truly respected, Sam was looking forward to the next day. _Right after you put your plan into action, L, _she thought, _so will I. I look forward to dancing with you._

~~~~~~~(^w\)# * #(/w^)~~~~~~~

Sitting in the same room as her first day at the NPA, Sam was talking quietly with Matsuda and one of the other detectives, Aizawa Shuichi. "She's adorable, Aizawa-san," Sam said as she handed the man back the picture of his young daughter, Yumi. "Listen, if you ever need a babysitter for her, you're more than welcome to ask me. I not only have experience by doing the same for some friends back in the States, but I'll do it for free."

"Thanks, Yugito-san," Aizawa said as he put the wallet-size picture back in his pocket, "but I think Eriko and I will have to talk about it before I say anything about that." He ran a hand over the afro that his hair was in. "Besides, it's not like we ever really get any time off nowadays, what with this Kira person killing people."

Both Sam and Matsuda nodded at his words. Turning to look at the tv that was on near the front of the room, the three of them perked up when the show that had been playing was interrupted. "_We interrupt your programming to bring you an important message from the ICPO,_" a man said on the screen. "_This is being broadcast all over the world. Japanese voice-over is provided by translator Anderson Yoshio." _A man sitting behind a desk with a name-plate appeared on the screen. A name-plate that said 'Lind L. Tailor'.

"_My name is Lind L. Tailor, widely known as 'L'," _the man said.

"That's not L," Sam whispered just loud enough for Matsuda and Aizawa to hear her as the chief stood near them, watching the tv.

"What do you mean, Samui-chan?", asked Matsuda.

"What I mean," she said as Lind L. Tailor continued his act, "is that Lind L. Tailor is a decoy. L's probably trying something that will help him locate where Kira is."

"_I will personally catch the one behind it,"_ they heard Lind L. Tailor say as they turned their attention back to the tv, "_'Kira', at any cost. Kira, I think I have a pretty good idea of what you're trying to do and why you're doing it. But what you're doing is EVIL!"_

"Not good," Sam muttered, unaware that the three men closest to her were listening to her words. "L's provoked Kira. Kira's going to kill Lind L. Tailor."

"_Police all over have already begun to investigate..."_

_He's gone,_ Sam thought as she watched the screen with wide eyes, waiting for the moment that Lind L. Tailor would grab his chest. Just as she had finished the small thought, the man on the screen jerked in his chair, a hand over his heart, as he died of a heart attack.

"_Unbelievable,"_ a new voice said through a voice-scrambler over the tv. "_I did this on the off-chance that you would kill 'me'."_

_ "_Now, _that's_ L," Sam said with a smirk. Seeing the dumbfounded looks on most of the force, she shook her head at their gullibility. "He wouldn't offer himself up like that at the beginning of a case so easily."

"_So, Kira," _L said on the tv, "_you can kill people without even being nearby. So it's true after all. If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I would never have believed it. But this was the only way you could have killed them, wasn't it?"_

_ "_H-he did this to confirm how he killed?" Sam sharply looked up at her uncle's words.

"Not only to confirm how he killed," she said as they listened to L's words. "To confirm where he was." Not noticing the looks that her uncle and co-workers were giving her, she honed in on L's scrambled voice.

"_Kira," _L said,_ "listen to me. The person you killed was actually a prisoner sentenced to be executed at this time today. Not me. He was a criminal imprisoned without any media attention, so naturally even you didn't know he existed. BUT I, L, AM REAL!"_

The entire room jumped at how fiercely the words were said. "_SO WHY DON'T YOU KILL ME!" _L was deliberately provoking Kira now. _"Come on! Do it!"_ Sam could hear others around the room muttering loudly, asking what was going on and if L had a death-wish. "_Come on! Kill me!"_

Silence reigned for a few minutes as L paused in his tirade. "_What's wrong?",_ L asked. "_Can't do it? Seems like you can't kill me after all."_ Sam could just imagine the crazed expression on her cousin's face at L's words. Glancing at her uncle, she felt sorry for the man for having to go through everything he would face in the future thanks to his power-addicted son.

"_So there are people you can't kill,"_ L continued, the cloister black style letter gleaming on the tv screen. "_Thanks for the hint. Let me tell you something in return. I said this was a worldwide live broadcast, but it's really only being shown in the Kanto area of Japan."_

A small uproar came from some of the detectives in the room, including Matsuda and Aizawa. Sam struggled to hear L's words over the noise. "_I was planning on doing this at other prefectures, but now that's unnecessary. I know now that you're in the Kanto area."_ Groaning as the noise level raised, Sam stood up and got closer to the tv so she wouldn't have to strain her ears so much. "_The police might have missed this, but I know your first victim was a murderer in Shinjuku. Compared to all the other criminals who died of similar causes, this guy seems insignificant. And only the Japanese media reported this incident. That was the only clue I needed to know you're in Japan, Kira! And that man was just a test for your killings!_

_ "I got lucky, casting my net out on the most populated area of Japan."_ L's voice held a note of triumph, despite the voice-scrambler. "_I really didn't expect my plan to go so well. Kira, it's not far from the day you die."_

"That's the L I know," Sam said as she made her way back over to her uncle, now that the yells of her co-workers had died down.

"Yes," Soichiro said. "He's proven that Kira exists and is in Japan."

L wasn't done, however. "_Kira, I'm extremely interested in your killing method. I'll figure it out when I CATCH YOU!" _Everyone in the room held their breath, waiting for L to finish his broadcast. "_Kira, I WILL HUNT YOU DOWN AND DESTROY YOU! I am JUSTICE!" _Sam exchanged looks with her uncle. _"See you, Kira,"_ L said in a slightly mocking tone, before the letter that represented him disappeared from the tv.

Before the show that had been playing could continue, however, a blank screen appeared on the tv. _"Bravo, L,"_ a new, high-pitched, voice-scrambled voice said as the screen filled with a purple tint. "_Good show, being able to find Kira so fast. I applaud you for the tactic."_

_ "As do I,"_ another voice said, also voice-scrambled, but at a much lower pitch. "_I'm sure you must be wondering who we are. Don't worry, we'll tell you who we are, but first, we have a few things we'd like to say, to both you AND Kira."_

_ "_W-what's this?" Soichiro reared back as if burned as everyone stared blankly at the tv, shocked at the interruption that wasn't part of the original plan.

"I have no clue, Soichi-ojisan," Sam said, discreetly slipping her 'iPod touch' back into her pocket. Looking at the screen with 'wide eyes', Sam shook her head as they all watched and listened to the new voices. "I honestly don't."

"_Now then," _the high-pitched voice said, "_I have some news for L. You aren't the only one that is trying to bring Kira to justice. I'm not talking about the police force, but myself and my brother. We have information about the both of you that we think might change the balance of things."_

_ "However,"_ the lower-pitched voice said, _"just because we have this information doesn't mean that we'll give it out freely. For example, my sister and I both know exactly how Kira is killing his victims."_

A high-pitched chuckle could be heard through the feed. "_On the other hand," _the sister said, "_we also know L's true name and what he looks like. So, as you've probably figured out by now, we have exactly what the both of you need to end this in your own way."_

Suddenly, both voices spoke at the same time. "_We find this war that is starting between the two of you interesting, and we want to take a part of it,"_ they said. "_As a means to that end, we have gained various bits of knowledge that we will be sharing with the both of you at our discretion. It may be as public as this hi-jacked broadcast, or it may be as discreet as a single line ad in the newspaper. Be on the look-out for these clues about your opponents."_

A purple symbol appeared on the screen, so dark in color that it was almost black. Slowly, the letter 'L' appeared on one side of the symbol, in a style similar to the one used by L himself. On the other side, a fuzzy, bright red circle appeared. The dark purple symbol began moving, as if the different symbols were weighing it down. "_The clues we offer could make all the difference between a victory or a defeat for one of you, L, Kira,"_ the two voices said. "_Just as L, and Kira, are Justice, we are the balance. We... are Libra."_ With those words, the scales faded away, letting the program that had been playing before the broadcast continue.

"Well, well," Soichiro said as he took off his glasses and cleaned them with a spare tissue, "looks like we have someone else to look out for. Hopefully, these two siblings... Libra, will help us with catching Kira."

"Or they could help Kira find L," Aizawa butted in. "They did say that they had L's true name and knew what he looked like."

"What do you think, Samui-chan?", Matsuda asked as the four of them stood around the table that Sam and Matsuda usually sat at.

"I don't know," Sam said, hiding her grin at the success of the hi-jack. "I hope that Libra will help L out, but they said that they will also be helping Kira. So, things could go either way now. Personally," Sam told them, "I'm rooting for L. No matter what Kira does or who he is, he needs to be stopped."

"Well said," Soichiro told his niece, a proud glint in his eye. He looked around the room to see the other detectives talking amongst themselves about this new development. He growled slightly at the sight. "Get back to work," he snapped at them. "We need to gather all the information we can about Kira! We shouldn't rely completely on L, nor on these new players, Libra, so get to it!"


	5. Investigations and Tension

_**Disclaimer: I do NOT own anything you recognize. They belong to their respective owners, and it SUCKS! (what I wouldn't give to own at least one of the characters...)**_

_**AN: Just to let you know, I'm basing some characters, my OCs that is, on actual people I know, friends, family, that sort of thing. Also, one of them has the same first name as myself, and I chose the name (actually used for the majority of my heroines) because, even though I don't like my name, it does make a good name for a character. Plus, there are just so many different nicknames for it, I thought it'd be a good idea!**_

_Balancing Out Justice_

_by SamiraGranger_

**Chapter Five: Investigations and Tension**

Tension filled the room as each individual team of the force said their reports for the chief and L to hear. Sam sighed as she took the time to walk around and offer refills on coffee to each member. Topping off the mugs of her fellow detectives, she worked her way around the room until she had offered coffee to most of the men. Making her way back to the coffee maker that was placed out of the way of anything, she looked around the room to make sure she hadn't missed anyone when her eyes landed on Watari. He was sitting behind an open laptop that L was using to listen to, and most likely watch, the reports. Glancing down at the coffee pot in her hand, she nodded to herself as she made a quick decision.

Grabbing two clean mugs from a nearby tray, she filled them just over half-way with coffee. Setting the coffee pot back on the brewer so more of the hot liquid could be made, she picked up the two mugs and walked back through the room, for once glad that she had to pass the older man to get to the table she shared with Matsuda. Stopping just behind Watari, she put one of the mugs on the table next to him. "Just in case you're thirsty and need something to drink, Watari-san," she whispered to him, trying not to talk over the report.

"Thank you, Yugito-san," Watari whispered back to her, his smile present in his tone.

Sam smiled at the man. "If you need cream or sugar, feel free to ask and I'll get it for you," she told him. "It would be no problem, and I'd be happy to do so."

"Actually," Watari said, "if I could have some cream, I'd appreciate it."

"Like I said, no problem," Sam said. "I'll bring some right over for you." Turning back around to get the creamer for the man, she saw the look that the chief sent her. Rolling her eyes at the silent laughter that was making his torso shake slightly, Sam took a sip of her own coffee. Quickly going over to the small fridge that was next to the coffee maker, she grabbed a tiny pitcher and poured some cold cream into it. Holding the pitcher in one hand, she hurried back over to Watari and set it down on the table. "Here you go," she softly told him. "If there is anything else you need, don't hesitate to ask."

Making her way back over to Matsuda, Sam sat down next to the man. "I've only known you for about ten days," Matsuda whispered to her as they tried to look like they were actually listening to the reports, "and I'm still amazed at how you've pretty much won most of the others over just by being willing to be the team gopher."

Shrugging at his words, she replied, "It's a role I know well." Seeing his incredulous look from the corner of her eye, she hid a giggle behind her mug of coffee as she took a sip of the hot beverage. Grimacing at the taste of the liquid, she sighed as she pulled out some small, individual packets of brown sugar she had in her messenger. Opening the packets and dumping the contents into her coffee, she used the non-writing end of one of her regular ball-point pens to stir the contents. "To tell you the truth," she whispered low enough for only her partner to hear, "it's probably the only thing I did that didn't cause my twin brother to tease me about. First time he did, I put some ultra-spicy hot sauce in his hot chocolate as revenge." Smirking at the memory, Sam said, "He never made fun of me while I was fetching things for the others again."

As they chuckled softly at her little tale, they heard the chief clear his throat. "Okay," Soichiro said. "So now that we've been briefed, does anyone have anything else to add?"

Matsuda raised his hand and stood up. "Ah, yes," he said, his voice holding a light nervous quality to it.

"Go ahead, Matsuda-kun," Soichiro said, taking notice of the young detective.

"I don't mean to give Kira any praise, but," Matsuda said, "in the past few days, criminal activity around the world, and especially in Japan, has decreased dramatically." The room was silent at his words.

"Hmm." The chief contemplated what Matsuda had said. "Well, I suppose we all knew that something like this would happen," he finally said. "Anything else?" When no one else offered up anything, he sighed. Standing up, he looked at the laptop in front of Watari. "L, that's all we have to say," he told the detective that was listening in.

"_Thank you,"_ L said through the laptop's speakers, his voice lost in a voice-scrambler, as per usual. "_I think we're getting close. Before I leave, I have one more request." _At his words, everyone perked up and payed attention. "_This is for the victims unit, the media unit, and the internet unit."_ The members of said units stiffened slightly, waiting for their instructions. _"I'd like you to carefully examine how the Japanese media reported information on these victims. I need to know whether or not any images of the perpetrators were shown. Thank you for your cooperation."_ With that said, L's symbol vanished from the laptop's display as he shut down the laptop from where ever he was set up.

As Watari began packing up the laptop, Soichiro looked over the force. "On that note, night shift goes to team two," he told the group of detectives. "Everybody else, either continue the investigation or go home and rest up. That is all." After he packed up his own things, Soichiro walked over to the table where Matsuda and Sam sat. "Do you need a ride home, Sam-chan?", he asked his niece.

"No, thanks, Soichi-ojisan," Sam said as she stood up. "I think I'm gonna stick around a bit longer, make sure that team two has enough coffee brewed and another pot going." Smiling at the concerned man, she walked around the table. "I'll walk out with you, though. I need to stretch my legs anyways." Beginning to walk out with her uncle, she paused for a second as she looked at Watari. "If you could wait a second, chief, I want to tell Watari-san something right fast."

Not waiting for a response from her uncle, she hurried over to L's handler as he was locking the briefcase that L's laptop was kept in. "Excuse me, Watari-san," she said as she stood next to the table that he usually sat at. "I just wanted to let you know that you could just leave the coffee mug where it is, if you want. I'll be going around the room and gathering up the other used mugs and washing them after I walk the chief out to his car."

Watari chuckled at the young woman standing in front of him. "If you insist, Yugito-san," he said as he picked up the briefcase. "Is there anything else you'd like to say, my dear?"

Smiling at the man that she thought was her Papa, Sam couldn't help but get the feeling that he was testing her. _L must have gotten the habit from him, then,_ she thought. "Actually, Watari-san, I think there is," she said. "Would you mind if I brought some baked goods here from time to time for you to take back and share with L-san? It's just, I tend to bake every now and then when I try to release some stress, and most of the results usually go to waste."

"That would be fine, my dear," Watari said at her small confession. "I'm sure L will appreciate the gesture for what it truly is."

Sam blushed a bit at the fact that she had been caught by her co-conspirator. "I-I'll just bring some next time I bake, then, shall I?" Turning around to catch up with her uncle, she heard Watari laugh at her antics.

"What was that about?", Soichiro asked his niece as he held the door to the investigation room open for her.

"Oh, just asking him if he and L would like some cookies and cake," she told him.

"Huh?"

Sam forgot that her uncle didn't know what she did to try and relieve stress. "I bake from time to time if music or anime can't help me relieve stress," Sam explained. "Sometimes, I even practice the katas for the mixed-martial arts I know. But, for some reason, baking is a sure-fire way for me to loosen the tension in my shoulders." Seeing her uncle's half-smile and raised eyebrow, she groaned. "I... also tend to rely on baking a little _too_ much," she said. "So, most of what I bake usually ends up in the trash. Sachi-obasan made me promise not to give anything I make to Sayu-chan or Light-kun, so I have to give it to someone. I figured, what the heck, why not offer the sweets up to the world's greatest detective?" Smiling at Soichiro as he laughed at her words, she continued. "I guess you could say that it's also my way of saying 'thank you' to L-san, you know? He's solved so many different cases, some that needed to be solved then, some of them older than your's, mine, and Matsuda-san's ages combined."

The two of them laughed at that as they walked through the doors of the NPA building. Soichiro stretched out his arms and legs as they paused momentarily. "Going home, chief, Samui-chan?" Turning around at the sound of Matsuda's voice, Sam and Soichiro saw him hurrying to catch up to them.

"Huh? Oh, yeah," Soichiro said. "I figured I worked late enough last night, so..."

"Oh, well then," Matsuda said, sounding slightly disappointed. "Goodbye..."

"Yep."

"Um..." Matsuda started to say something, but stopped.

"Hm?" Turning to look at Matsuda, Soichiro said, "What's on your mind, Matsuda-kun?"

"That announcement I made..." Matsuda looked at the two people in front of him. "'Crime is falling.' If you think about it, everyone already knew. Do you think I should have kept quiet?"

Sam and her uncle exchanged glances before looking at Matsuda. "Don't be ridiculous," Soichiro told the young man. "No matter what the content, I want you to keep the facts coming. Even more so for delicate matters."

Sam couldn't help but jump in. "It might have become a problem if you said, 'We should give him an award for his righteous deed,'" she said as she put a hand on Matsuda's arm.

"I-I would never..." Matsuda stared at the two of them with wide eyes. "An award for a homicidal maniac?"

"Well," Sam said as she checked her watch. "If you guys want clean mugs to use tomorrow, I better get back inside and start cleaning up."

"Sam," Soichiro said, forgoing the use of honorifics for the moment. "You don't have to do that, you know. You're fine doing what you have been doing."

"I know, Soichi-ojisan," she said. "It's just a habit that I still have from my days as the gopher for my dad and his team. I honestly don't mind doing it. It helps me clear my head if I get stuck on something while here."

"Okay, then, if you're sure," her uncle said as he gave her a quick hug. "I'll tell your obasan and cousins that you said 'hello', then shall I?"

Laughing as they hugged, Sam shook her head. "If you want to, Soichi-ojisan. Remind Sayu-chan that she needs to visit me sometime in the next two days for her next practice for me, will you?"

"Sure thing, Sam-chan. Ja ne."

"Ja ne, Matsuda-san," Sam said as she turned to him. "Have a good night."

"Ja ne, Samui-chan," Matsuda said. "Don't work to hard, alright? You're only a few years younger than me, remember?"

Laughing as she walked back into the building, Sam shook her head as she made her way back to the room they used. _They're awesome_, she thought as she walked through the hallways. _And I know they will stay that way._

~~~~~~~(^w\)# * #(/w^)~~~~~~~

"NANI?" Soichiro's cry echoed throughout the room. "Twenty-three more deaths just yesterday?"

Turning to look at him from where she stood pouring some coffee for herself, Sam's eyes widened as she recognized what was happening. Narrowing her eyes slightly, she barely listened in as she thought about what had been happening since the day before. _Taking that step, eh, Light? Well played,_ she thought as she poured a little bit of cream into her coffee, still trying to find the combination that worked for her with the bitter liquid. Pouring a second cup of coffee, she tuned back into the conversation as she carried her coffee in one hand and the second in the other, along with the small pitcher of cream.

"I think our student theory has a hole in it," she heard one of her co-workers say.

"Wait," another one said, "he could have just skipped school those days and..."

"_THAT'S NOT IT!"_ L yelled through the laptop. "_That's not what Kira is trying to do! He's trying to tell us he can kill whenever he wants."_

Placing the second cup of coffee and the cream down on the table next to Watari, Sam ignored the looks being directed at either the laptop or her. Walking back over to what has come to be her regular seat, she muttered under her breath. _"_We've got a leak." She looked up just in time to see Watari exit the room. _Time for the FBI to enter, eh, L? Then it's time for my next step as well, _she thought as she pulled out her own laptop. Making sure that Matsuda wasn't watching her, she quickly checked the document she had that told her the time-line for what would happen during the _Death Note_ manga series. _According to this,_ she thought,_ Light should be getting the stuff for his little drawer-trap today._

"What is this?" Another cry from the chief echoed around the room about an hour later. Looking up from what she was doing, Sam saw the three men that stood in front of her uncle.

"These are our letters of resignation," one of them said. "We would like to be reassigned. However, if you cannot, we will quit."

The room was silent for a few seconds before Soichiro stammered out, "W-why?"

The same man that had spoken before spoke up again. "Why?", he said. "Because we value our lives. According to L, Kira has psychic powers that can kill without him laying a finger on his victim, correct?"

One of the other two men joined the conversation. "If I were Kira," he said, "I'd kill every man after me."

"After all," the third man said, "if we caught him, he'd be executed."

"L was taunting and daring Kira to kill him on television, wasn't he?", the first man reminded everyone. "But L has never revealed who he is in public. And recently we were asked to check how the victims appeared in the Japanese media. 'Find if photographs of their faces were released.'" Suddenly, the man slammed his hands on the chief's desk. "And they were!", he yelled. "Every single one of the victims faces was released to the public! Meaning every single investigator here who has shown his police ID is a potential target." The man straightened up off the chief's desk. "He could hit us at any time."

"So we request that we be moved to a new department, sir," one of the others said. "Thank you for your consideration." As one, the three of them walked away from Soichiro's desk and left the room.

"Hey, you guys," the chief said. "W-wait a second!"

The door slammed behind the three men.

"If you think about it," Sam heard another detective say, "those guys might be right."

"L is safe behind a computer somewhere," yet another one said, "while we're out putting ourselves in danger."

Sam couldn't help but feel sad at the fact that the other detectives were saying such things, despite knowing that all of them would end up leaving the investigation anyways.


	6. A Resigned Fate

_**Disclaimer: I do NOT own anything you recognize. They belong to their respective owners, and it SUCKS! (what I wouldn't give to own at least one of the characters...)**_

_**AN: Just to let you know, I'm basing some characters, my OCs that is, on actual people I know, friends, family, that sort of thing. Also, one of them has the same first name as myself, and I chose the name (actually used for the majority of my heroines) because, even though I don't like my name, it does make a good name for a character. Plus, there are just so many different nicknames for it, I thought it'd be a good idea!**_

_Balancing Out Justice_

_by SamiraGranger_

**Chapter Six: A Resigned Fate**

Sam sat down in her regular spot calmly, despite the anger brewing in her. _Darn it, L,_ she thought._ As long as Raye Penber is following Light, I can't take my next step, either as an IUSDA apprentice, or as Libra. I need to get into my cousin's room at some point, preferably while he is asleep, so I can get a hold of his Death Note. I need to be able to see Ryuk so I can ask him a question._

_ "_Yeah, it's me," she heard her uncle say as he answered the phone. "Six more? Heart attacks... That's Kira." Ignoring the mumbling from the rest of the investigators, Sam continued to listen in to her uncle's phone conversation. "Nani?" Her uncle now had the attention of the entire room. "Three acted strangely before they died? What do you mean? Not just heart failure?"

The chief opened up his laptop. "Hold on," he said into the phone as he held it to his ear with his shoulder. "I want to input these details. Tell me slowly." By this time, everyone had stopped what they were doing to listen in on their boss's phone call. "Okay. Name? Shirami Misaaki," Soichiro repeated. "The serial arson who killed thirteen people..."

Sam tuned her uncle out as scenes from the anime flashed through her mind. _The notes... Light, no... __**Kira**__ left L notes,_ she thought. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Watari contacting L and giving him an update. A few minutes later, L's laptop was on and ready for the detective to communicate with the investigators.

"_Chief! For these victims, please do not announce them in any more detail than 'dead of heart failure',"_ L ordered through the laptop. _"There's a possibility that Kira is conducting a test. We may be feeding the results to him through the media."_

_ "_Fine," Soichiro said. Two of the investigators commented on L's words near him. "Toying with people's lives?", the chief said. "I will not allow it!"

_Shit,_ Sam thought. _This means that Kira is now on the move to find out the FBI agent that's following him._

_~~~~~~~(^w\)# * #(/w^)~~~~~~~_

_ "_Sorry, Light-kun," Sam said into her phone as she walked into the NPA building. Trying to balance the four boxes in her arms, she held the phone to her ear with her shoulder. "I'm actually on my way to work right now. Maybe another time?"

"_Oh,"_ she heard Light say from the other end of the phone. _"Sure, Samui-san. We should hang out at some point, get to know each other better. Well, talk to you later, cousin."_

_ "_Talk to you later, Light-kun." Moving the boxes to one arm, she reached up and took the phone off her ear. Ending the call, she slipped the phone into her pocket before grabbing the boxes with both hands again before they had the chance to fall. Sighing as she walked down the hallway with the boxes, she ignored the looks she was getting for bringing them in.

Just as she made it to the investigation room, she slipped on a slick spot on the floor. "Whoa!", she cried as she tried to catch herself while attempting to keep a grasp on the boxes. Closing her eyes as she fell, she suddenly stopped mid-fall. Opening one eye, she looked up and saw that Ukita had caught her. "Thanks, Ukita-san," she said as she straightened up. Looking at the lone box in her hand, she saw that Mogi and Matsuda had both caught the other three boxes. Letting out a breath of relief that the boxes were alright, she smiled at the two and said, "Thank you for catching the boxes, Mogi-san, Matsuda-kun."

"It was no problem," Mogi said as he and Matsuda handed her the boxes.

"Yeah," Ukita said. "When we saw you coming down the hall from inside, we decided to come out and help you carry those boxes in."

"I'm just glad that you're alright, Samui-chan," Matsuda added. "The chief would hurt us if we let anything happen to his niece."

Sam froze slightly at Matsuda's words. "Oh, well, thank you, the three of you," she told them with a small smile. "Next time I bake something, I'll bring some for all of you, okay? These four boxes have already been claimed, or I would offer you some of what's inside them."

The three men each grabbed a box from Sam before she could continue walking. "Just tell us who these go to, and we'll help you get them in there," Ukita said.

"Um, actually," Sam said, rubbing the back of her neck, one hand holding onto the box still in her possession, "all four of them go to Watari-san." Matsuda, Ukita, and Mogi just stared at her after she said that. "What? I offered to give him some baked goods the other day for him to take back to L for the two of them to share."

"Okay, Samui-chan," Matsuda said as the four of them walked into the investigation room.

Seeing Watari in his usual spot, Sam smiled as she approached him from in front of L's laptop for once. "Konnichiwa, Watari-san," she said as she and the three detectives stood in front of him and the laptop. "Is L-san watching and/or listening in right now?"

"_Yes, I am, Yugito-san,"_ L said through the laptop. Sam jumped slightly at the unexpected response.

"Konnichiwa, L-san," Sam told the laptop before turning her attention back to Watari. "Watari-san, I brought those things I told you about," she said as she set the box in her hands down next to the laptop. Nodding her head at Mogi, Matsuda, and Ukita to put the boxes they were holding with the one she had just set down, Sam turned back to Watari and L. "I went into a bit of a baking frenzy last night, and decided to bring some of what I made here for you to take back and share with L-san, Watari-san."

"_You baked?" _

Looking at the laptop as Watari chuckled, Sam smiled at the laptop, knowing that L could see her. Her blue eyes shone as she began to tell L what she was giving him and Watari. "L-san, I'm giving you and Watari-san two cakes, one pie, and two dozen cookies. Would you like to know what they are?"

"Please, my dear," Watari said as he checked inside the boxes to make sure the sweets were intact.

"Well," Sam said as she brushed a lock of her long auburn hair out of her eyes, "one of the cakes is a two-layer strawberry shortcake with a sweet strawberry cream and light vanilla icing. That one is decorated with sugar-soaked strawberries on top. The other cake is a triple chocolate bundt cake, with chocolate sauce and powdered sugar on top of it. The pie is a sugar pie, traditional style, with crushed rock candy on top. The cookies are party rings, various flavors."

"I'm sure they're delicious, my dear," Watari said.

"_... I'm hungry now,"_ L said through the laptop.

Sam put a hand over her mouth to hide the smile that was threatening to show at L's words. _That... was kinda cute,_ she thought as she held back a chuckle. "Well, I hope you enjoy the sweets, Watari-san, L-san," she said. Turning away from Watari, Sam made her way across the room to her spot next to Matsuda, who had sat down while she was telling L and Watari what she had baked for them.

"So, anything new happen?" Getting down to work, Sam finally let her smile show through.

~~~~~~~(^w\)# * #(/w^)~~~~~~~

Two days after Christmas, which Sam had celebrated by herself in whatever spare time she could find during the day, she was running late to work for the first time. _"_Kuso! Stupid alarm clock," she said as she ran down the hallway towards the investigation room. _"_The chief is going to _kill_ me!" Arriving at the room, she stopped just outside the door. Putting a hand against the wall, she tried to catch her breath before entering the room. Suddenly, she heard yelling in the room. Curious to know what was happening, she quietly opened the door and walked inside.

"FBI agents having heart attacks in Japan?" Hearing one of the investigators say that, she immediately remembered what had happened in the manga at this point.

_How the heck did I forget? I'm such an idiot,_ she thought as she made her way over to Matsuda. _Light called me on the twentieth asking if I wanted to go to Space Land with him. Darn it!_ Then, what she had just thought truly registered in her mind. _Wait a minute, Light asked ME to go to the park with him. He has no clue that I'm working with his father on the Kira case. He made a mistake! Just because I showed up! _As the others were talking about the FBI murders, she hurriedly sat down and opened her laptop. _Now, if I could just get the articles together, I'll be able to present it to Watari to give to L. I don't want the chief to know about this. I don't want to see what he would do if I was the one that 'accused' his son of being Kira._

Looking at the website for the newspaper she subscribes to, Sam searched for the articles that were relevant to what she was thinking about. While she was looking for the two articles, she kept one ear open to the conversations around her, unaware that Matsuda was giving her a funny look. "I'm calling the head of the FBI about this," she heard her uncle say.

"Samui-chan? Are you alright?" Glancing up at Matsuda, Sam gave him a small smile.

"Yeah, I'm alright, Matsuda-kun," she said as she felt the beginnings of a headache behind her eyes. "Just trying to find a lead for the case, you know how it is."

"The FBI surveyed those related to this investigation at L's direction?" Everyone turned to look at the chief as his words echoed around the room. "Is that true?" Ignoring the murmurs going around about how they knew they couldn't trust L, Sam homed in on her uncle's call, again. Not hearing anything that she didn't already know from the manga, anime, or movies, Sam turned her attention back to her laptop.

"Those guys who quit before were right," she heard one of the other investigators say. "I can't take this anymore!"

_And there's the daily resignation,_ she thought as she watched the man gather his things and leave the room from the corner of her eye. Shaking her head at the antics of the others, Sam couldn't help but be happy that L was weeding out the untrustworthy members in such a way.

~~~~~~~(^w\)# * #(/w^)~~~~~~~

"We may be killed by Kira." Every investigator that was still participating in the Kira case were paying attention to their superior's words. "The fact that members of the FBI were killed means that he will murder anyone who opposes him, in addition to criminals."

Chief Yagami Soichiro looked around the room at the group of people he called his friends and co-workers. "Think of yourself," he told them, "think of your family, and think of your friends. Those who wish to resign may do so now." His eyes landed on each member of the force. "No one who leaves will receive a demotion," he said. "I've already left your reassignments up to the vice-director. But to whomever is willing to sacrifice everything I've mentioned to fight Kira, be here at five o'clock when I return from my meeting." With those words, he stood up and left the room.

After the door closed behind him, everyone burst out talking. "I don't know about you," Sam said as she watched the chaos of several investigators gathering up their stuff and leaving, "but I'm sticking around. I have no plans on leaving my uncle to have to deal with this alone."

"I-I'm staying, too, then," Matsuda told her from his seat next to her. "I'm loyal to the chief. I want to help bring down Kira."

Sam smiled at her partner. "Well, I guess we're stuck with each other, Matsu-kun," she told him, finally having the guts to call him by the nickname.

"I guess we are," Matsuda said as he stared at Sam in shock at what she had called him. "At least we've gotten to know each other during this past month, eh, Sam-chan?"

"Too true." Nudging Matsuda with her shoulder, the two of them laughed softly as they turned back to their work.

As the time passed, more and more people left the room, never to step foot in it again as a member of the investigation against Kira. _Disgusting,_ Sam thought as she watched each one leave. _At least we don't have to worry about them slowing down the investigation because of their mistrust of L anymore._ When five o'clock hit, the only people left in the room were Sam, Matsuda, and four others. "I imagine this is it," Sam said as she poured herself some coffee from the now-lukewarm pot. Taking a sip of the beverage, she grimaced at the taste. "How can you guys stand the taste of this stuff?"

"You grow used to it," Ukita said from nearby, laughing at Sam's face as she poured the drink into the sink.

"You know what," she said as she made her way back over to Matsuda, well aware all five men were listening to her, even Watari, and possibly L, "now that we're pretty much the only ones working on the case, I feel like I can say something that has been floating through my mind recently." Seeing the curious expression on Matsuda's face, Sam turned serious as she picked up her messenger bag and began rummaging through it. "Screw coffee, who wants some hot chocolate?" Pulling out a small box of instant-hot chocolate, she smiled at the others as they sweat-dropped at her words.

"Welcome back, chief," Matsuda said as Soichiro walked back into the room shortly after the time he said he would be back. All of the remaining investigators turned to look at the man that was in charge of them.

"Only six people," he muttered as he stood there, the door closed behind him. "No," he said as he looked at them, "six people who are willing to put their lives on the line to confront evil." Soichiro walked around the empty tables to his desk. "Including me," he continued, "that makes seven. But how can we continue the investigation while we're this understaffed?"

Sam shared a look with her partner at her uncle's words. "Soichi-ojisan," she said as she turned to Soichiro, "if you include L-san and Watari-san, that makes nine of us. And nine people are better than none, right?"

"That is true, Sam-chan," her uncle said. "Nine people _is_ better than none."

_"It is only you,"_ L piped up through the laptop in front of Watari, _"with your strong conviction, that I trust."_

_ "_H-hold on a second," Aizawa said. "L says that he trusts us, but we don't trust him!" Sam and Matsuda turned to look at the others.

"L," one of the others that were left said, "we're determined to catch Kira even if it costs us our lives. We should all understand what it means to put that on the line."

Aizawa spoke up again. "But you just order us around without showing your face."

Yet another of the ones left added on to their words. "We will pursue Kira, but not with your assistance," he said. "And we're not the only ones. Many people doubt you or even oppose you."

"Definitely! Twelve members of the FBI are dead because of you," the second person said. "You can't argue the circumstances."

Soichiro sighed at the three's words. "There are some criminal psychologists who are saying that 'L is Kira'," he told them. "They claim that L has multiple personalities. The one who ordered the FBI to move was L, and the FBI agents who came to Japan are all dead. L would have known who they were." Aizawa and the other two who had been speaking stood up at what the chief said. "And that's not all," Soichiro continued, "he may have staged everything up until now by himself. The fact that he's been able to solve any case without revealing himself adds weight to that theory."

Sam stayed silent throughout the outbursts. She watched her uncle as he made a decision that could either make or break the team. "L," he said as he stood up from his seat, "if you're willing to join forces with us and help us catch Kira, come to headquarters and work with us in person." Sam nodded her head in approval at the way her uncle had said the request.

"Yeah," one of the others burst in, "if you showed your face and worked alongside us, it'd be easier to work with and trust you."

Sam couldn't take it anymore. "What is with you people?", she shouted, shooting up from her chair. "I don't know about you, but I realize the fact that, if we want any chance of catching Kira, we need L's help! It might be tomorrow, or years from now, but we won't be able to do _anything_ about this murderer without him!" Looking at her co-workers, Sam glared at them. "So what if he doesn't want to show us his face? That just means that there is at least one of us that will survive the case and bring Kira to justice." Turning to face Watari, who had L's laptop facing him, Sam stood with her back straight and her head high. "It was Henry L. Stimson who said, 'The only way to make a man trustworthy is to trust him'. I've found what he said to be true several times ever since I first heard the quote." Not backing down as her courage began to leave her, she finished by saying, "Kira needs to be stopped, and I believe that you, L, will be the one to stop him. If there is one thing about myself that I know to be fact, it is that I trust you and your judgment. I vow to help you with this case in whatever way possible."

Sitting calmly back down in her seat, she ignored the stares the six men around her were giving her. _"Thank you for your words, Yugito-san,"_ L said through the laptop after a few minutes had passed in silence after her small outburst. "_Earlier I said, 'I only trust you people'. Watari."_

_ "_Yes," Watari said. He turned the laptop around to where the seven detectives could see the screen. Once they could see L's classic symbol, it disappeared and was replaced by an open word document that had words being typed in.

The words said, '_What happens from now on must be kept between the nine of us.'_

"Wh-what's that?", one of the men said. "What happens from now on...?" All of them had gotten up and were gathered around the laptop in order to read L's instructions.

'_Very soon I'm thinking of meeting you seven, whom I trust.'_ Sam glanced at Matsuda and her uncle as they all read the typed words. '_None of you will mention a word of our meeting or the things mentioned in it. That includes, of course, your family, friends, and the rest of the police. Leave and consider whether or not you can promise me the above and put your faith in me. I'll set up the meeting when those who have decided they can trust and work with me return to this room.'_

"Well then, let's go outside, shall we?", Soichiro said as he looked at the gathered investigators. "Sam-chan, will you be joining us?"

Looking at her uncle, Sam raised her chin at him. "I believe that my words earlier said where I stand on this issue," she stated. "I'll go out there with you, but my mind has been made ever since I found out L had expressed interest in Kira. I'm continuing this case, no matter what. Kira needs to be stopped."

"Very well, Sam-chan," Soichiro said, recognizing her stance as one his wife used when she had made a decision that she wouldn't budge on. With that, the seven of them walked out of the room.

"I'd rather forget partnering with L and just continue the investigation independently." Hearing those words coming out of the mouth of one of the men that were standing in a circle, Sam rolled her eyes as she stood to the side with her uncle. "Given the way he works, we may end up meeting a double instead of the true L."

"A double, eh? It's possible," Aizawa said. Sam chuckled under her breath at his response.

"I... I believe in L." Matsuda's voice pierced the air. "And I believe we need his help for this case. So, I guess I agree with Sam-chan."

"And be used and killed like the FBI?" One of the others scoffed after saying that. "If he's closed so may tough cases on his own up until now, then why would he reveal himself to six people just to get our cooperation?"

Sam chanced a glance at her uncle and saw that he was thinking. He began saying his thoughts out loud. "L has said since the start that he needs our assistance for this case," he said. "Couldn't you think of it this way?" She smiled as she saw the realization on his face. "L was waiting for it to become like this."

"Like this?" Matsuda looked at the chief as Soichiro and Sam turned around to face the small group.

"There have always been people among the investigators who don't trust L," Soichiro stated. "One resignation after another, and then the information leak..."

"He couldn't trust us under those conditions," Sam said, speaking up for the first time since they stepped out of the room. "I don't blame him for that. I'd probably feel the same."

Matsuda's eyes widened as he realized what the two were saying. "He was just waiting for people he could trust," he said, "and people who trusted him and would stand up to evil without fear of death."

"Yes," the chief said to Matsuda's statement. "Like Sam-chan, though I'm still surprised that you spoke out like that." Aiming that last bit at the girl, Soichiro smirked at her as she blushed.

"I couldn't just stand by while you guys were badmouthing one of the smartest detectives within the past decade," she muttered.

The others were silent as they pondered the chief's words. "In any case, if we're going to work with L then I'm gone," one of them said before storming off. "But don't worry," he said as he walked away. "I'm not going to follow you guys or try to figure out L's true identity."

"I'll try to trust L and work with him," Ukita said after the man left through the doors.

Aizawa sighed before saying, "Me too." As one, the six remaining investigators entered the room, to tell L of their decision.

Before they could say a word of their decision to continue the investigation, Watari gestured for them to read the message on L's laptop. '_Right now I'm in a room at the Teito hotel.'_ Sam giggled softly at the look of shock the others had on their faces as they realized how close L had been to them all along. '_I'll be moving from hotel to hotel every few days. From now on, the police building is only the headquarters in name. Instead, the true headquarters will be my hotel room.'_ Sam heard the sharp inhales made by the others as they read those words. Just then, she realized just what was happening, causing her own inhale.

_I'm going to meet L,_ she thought. _Holy crap on a cracker... I'm going to meet L! Nearly every _Death Note_ fan's dream! _Mentally shaking her head to clear it of the thoughts, she continued reading L's message.

_'I'll have to take precautions so Kira doesn't know my face, so we won't all be together,'_ he stated. _'However, it is a compromise I will make now that I have your trust and cooperation. If you're willing to trust and work with me, split into two groups. Get my room number from Watari and come here before midnight tonight. Meaning before 2004. I'll be waiting.'_

Sam exchanged looks with her uncle and Matsuda as all of them paled, the seriousness of the situation finally dawning on them with the words on the screen.


	7. The Man Behind the Letter

_**Disclaimer: I do NOT own anything you recognize. They belong to their respective owners, and it SUCKS! (what I wouldn't give to own at least one of the characters...)**_

_**AN: Just to let you know, I'm basing some characters, my OCs that is, on actual people I know, friends, family, that sort of thing. Also, one of them has the same first name as myself, and I chose the name (actually used for the majority of my heroines) because, even though I don't like my name, it does make a good name for a character. Plus, there are just so many different nicknames for it, I thought it'd be a good idea!**_

_Balancing Out Justice_

_by SamiraGranger_

**Chapter Seven: The Man Behind the Letter**

Rushing around her living room as the clock ticked closer and closer to the time that she, Matsuda, and Soichiro had decided on to meet up at, Sam groaned. "Damn it," she said as she tore through her things. "Why is it that every single time I need to find something it freaking disappears?!" Flying through her knowledge of various curse words as she slipped back into English, her first language, she moved on to another box as she didn't find what she was looking for in the box she had been going through.

Music blared through the house as she literally ran to get things together before her uncle showed up with Matsuda to drive them to the hotel. Suddenly, the location of the item she was looking for entered her mind. Slapping a hand against her forehead, she yelled out in frustration for having forgotten. "How the heck did I forget that it's _there_?", she asked herself as she stormed up the stairs to her bedroom. Slamming the door of the room open, she stomped over to her dresser and pulled out a black plastic bag that one of her best friends had given her just a week before she left her parents' house.

Opening the bag, she dumped it onto her dresser. Moving a few items, she grabbed the thin, black braided bracelet that one of her best friends had made for the two of them. It was part of a set that she shared with her, their own version of friendship-bracelets. Sam's was black leather with a silver charm, while her friend's was red with a gold charm. As she put the bracelet on, she smiled as she felt the cool metal of the charm hit her skin. "You have good taste, onee-chan," she said as she just stared at the bracelet.

Hearing a sharp ringing sound echo throughout her house over the music, Sam grabbed one of the small, pocket-sized stuffed animals she had piled on top of her futon. Slipping the brown rabbit in her pocket as she walked out of her bedroom, she smiled as she breathed in deeply. The mixed scent of chocolate and cinnamon filled the house as she made her way to the kitchen. Walking over to the oven, she grabbed a pair of oven mitts and opened the door to the hot appliance. Pulling out at least three baking sheets of cookies that were about two inches in diameter, Sam set the sheets on some cooling racks she had spread out on the kitchen counter.

Turning to the stove, she held a hand over a pot that she had left on it warming up while trying to find her bracelet. Nodding as she felt the heat coming from the pot, she began putting some pieces of chopped caramel and toffee to melt it down into a more liquid form. As she used a silicone spatula to slowly begin mixing the melting caramel and toffee together, she couldn't help but sing along to the song that had just started playing.

_**"**__**I don't believe in first impressions  
For just this once I hope that looks don't deceive  
**__** I ain't got time for true confessions  
I've got to make the move right now  
Got to meet that girl somehow**_

I've gotta get it right the first time  
That's the main thing  
I cant afford to let it pass  
You get it right the next time that's not the same thing  
Gonna have to make the first time last.

I'm not much good at conversation  
I never was too smooth at comin' on real strong  
If all it takes is inspiration  
Then I might have just what it takes  
If I don't make no bad mistakes and I

Get it right the first time  
That's the main thing  
Cant afford to let it pass  
You get it right the next time  
That's not the same thing  
Have to make the first time last

I might find the courage yeah I might get up the nerve  
But if my timing ain't just right what purpose would it serve?  
I don't know, I don't know, I don't know how  
To say those first few words

If I want to put myself in touch  
The first few moments mean so much  
So I suppose its now or never  
Before that woman walks right out of my life  
Just let me pull myself together  
I've got to give it one good try  
Gotta take my chance tonight

I've gotta get it right the first time  
That's the main thing  
I cant afford to let it pass  
You get it right the next time  
That's not the same thing  
Gonna have to make the first time last."

__Checking the consistency of the mix of caramel and toffee, Sam smiled as she saw that it was falling from the spatula in a thin drizzle whenever she pulled it up, out of the mixture. Picking the pot up, she carried it over to the sheets full of cookies and began drizzling the mixture in lines over each cookie, almost like a messy version of a fudge-striped cookie. Moving quickly, she made sure that all the cookies had some of the mixture on it. Setting the pot to the side a few minutes later, she let the stripes harden as she grabbed two circular metal tins she had gotten at a craft store a few days before. Making sure that the tins were not only clean, but sanitized as well, she smiled at the designs she had painted onto them.

The tins themselves had been painted white with a black gradient that started at the bottom and faded into the white as it went up the tins. The bottom rim of the tins, along with the rim of the lids, were both a dark, but shiny, blue, a small tribute to the way the anime would shadow and highlight L in blue whenever he was saying or doing anything of extreme significance to the story. The lids, though, were what she was extremely proud of. Besides the blue rim that they both had, each lid was pure white with only one thing on it. A Cloister Black style 'L', the same 'L' that the world's greatest detective used as his symbol on the bigger tin, and a 'W' on the smaller tin, in the same style as the 'L'. Sam had drawn both letters freehand with a pencil on top of the white paint before using black to painstakingly paint it in. She had covered the paint using lead-free, clear spray paint as shellac, to keep it from chipping.

Placing a piece of light, pale blue lining in both tins, Sam began to place the cookies inside them. Being careful with each cookie to make sure that they didn't break, Sam filled both of the tins up with as many of the cookies as they could hold. Once both tins were full, she placed the lids on them securely. Grabbing a sheet of thin, shiny, translucent blue fabric, she spread it out on the counter. Placing L's tin right in the middle of the fabric, she put Watari's tin on top of it, also in the middle. Pulling the fabric up and around the tins, she used a small length of white ribbon to keep the fabric closed above the 'W'. Testing the fabric, she made sure that the ribbon was tied tight enough to not only keep the fabric closed, but also keep the tins from shifting inside the fabric. Finally satisfied with her work, she pulled out a large, brown paper bag that would be able to go virtually unnoticed. Putting the fabric-wrapped tins inside the bag, she smiled as she looked at the results of a week of working on the tins in her free time.

Picking up the bag, she brought it out of the kitchen and set it down by the front door. Looking at the clock that was hanging above the door, she saw that she only had a few more minutes left until her uncle would arrive. Heading into the living room, she sighed at the wreck she had made of it. Weaving through the mess, she made her way to the small stereo she kept in the room for when she had company over and turned it off, cutting the music. Grabbing her knee-length black coat, she slipped it on as she returned to the front door. Remembering what L did in each version of the _Death Note_ story, she quickly pulled her cell phone and all of her electronics out of her pockets and set them on a nearby table.

Grabbing the brown bag, she made sure the lights were off before exiting her house. Locking the door behind her, she just stood there holding the bag as she waited for her uncle's car to pull up in front of the house. She hadn't been waiting long when the car pulled up. Seeing her uncle in the driver's seat and Matsuda in the passenger's seat, she walked to the car and opened the door to the back seat. Sitting down, she placed the bag between her legs and closed the door. "Konbanwa, Soichi-ojisan, Matsu-kun," she said as she smiled at the two men.

"Konbanwa, Sam-chan," Matsuda said as Soichiro started driving again. "What's in the bag?"

"Oh, just something I put together for L-san and Watari-san," Sam said as she looked out the window of the vehicle. The three of them were quiet for most of the ride to the hotel. Once they were a few blocks away from the hotel, Soichiro parked his car in a parking garage. The three of them left the garage and walked the rest of the way.

Holding the brown bag close to her body with one hand, and the other around the brown rabbit in her pocket, Sam let her mind wander. _I truly hope that L and Watari like the cookies, March_, she thought as she lightly squeezed the toy. None of them said a word as they walked into the Teito hotel lobby and entered an elevator. Not really paying attention to her surroundings like she probably should have been, Sam jumped when, after several moments, the elevator dinged and opened up onto one of the highest floors of the hotel. Walking out into the hallway behind the two men, Sam couldn't help but grip the handles of the bag a little bit tighter. Running one finger along the head of the toy in her pocket, almost as if she was petting it, she took a few deep breaths to try and calm herself down. Stopping in front of the door to the hotel room, she felt a shiver run down her spine. _This is it,_ she thought.

Soichiro knocked on the door. "I've been expecting you," a male voice said from behind the door as it opened slightly. "Please come in." As the door swung open and the three of them entered, joining the others that had arrived before them, Sam made sure that the door was closed behind the small group before she looked at the man that had spoken. When she finally looked at him, she froze slightly at the sight in front of her.

He stood there in a pair of blue jeans that looked to be a size or two larger than needed, and a long-sleeved white shirt that was also big on him, both seemingly hanging on his thin frame. His feet were bare as he used one to scratch the top of the other. Hands in his pockets, he was slouching a bit, making him seem a bit shorter than he actually was. Skin so pale that you could tell that he spent very little time in the sun with one glance, but still held a healthy glow about it. His ink black hair was slightly on the long side and seemed to defy gravity. It was messy, and looked like it hadn't been washed for quite a while. He looked at them with large, dark eyes. Sam couldn't tell if they were truly black, or if you just couldn't see what his eye color was because his pupils were so dilated that they hid the color. The bags under his eyes were so dark, they were virtually black and looked more like thick eyeliner than a sign of little to no sleep.

"I am L." That was all he said as he stared at them, his expression seemingly blank.

Soichiro took it upon himself to begin the introductions. "I am Yagami," he said, "the chief of police." After he said that, the men said their names one after one.

"I'm Matsuda."

"Aizawa."

"Ukita."

"Mogi."

It was Sam's turn to introduce herself. Tilting her head slightly, she looked at L, over seeing his expectant look. She could tell that he thought she'd do the same thing as her fellow investigators. Keeping the smirk that was threatening to show off her lips, she straightened her back and said, "Montgomery." She didn't have to turn to know that her uncle and the others were shocked at the name she had given L.

L brought up a hand and held it in front of him after the final introduction had been made. Holding his hand in a fist, with only his index finger and thumb straight, in the classic hand-gun pose that little kids would use, he stared at them. "Bang." The men were shocked at what he had done.

"Huh?"

"That's not funny!"

Sam couldn't hold back a small snicker at that. Feeling Aizawa's glare, she looked at him with wide eyes. "What?", she asked. "I thought it was funny." Seeing her uncle shake his head at her antics, she smiled at him.

"If I was Kira," L said as he watched the interactions between the people in front of him, "you'd be dead already, Yagami-san." He kept an eye on the investigators as he began to lead them into another room. "As you may know, Kira must know the name and face of his victim to kill him," he stated. "Logically speaking, it is impossible to kill someone only by knowing their name and face, but that's just what Kira's been doing. We can only conclude that Kira uses a supernatural killing method."

L lifted his head slightly to look at the five men and one woman in front of him more directly. "We are the only ones left pursuing Kira," he informed them. "So please do not give away your names so recklessly. Like... Montgomery-san, you must be more cautious."

All of the men looked at L with fear in their eyes. Sam's held stubbornness. "He needs to know names?", Matsuda asked, saying what was on all of their minds. "Is that true? I've heard that he only needs to know the face."

"Matsu-kun, don't forget what we noticed in the papers," Sam said as she turned towards her partner. "Criminals whose names were either wrong or kept hidden survived some of the mass killings."

"That's the conclusion that headquarters came to," Soichiro said, backing up his niece's words.

"But judging only based on that," Matsuda pressed on. "Isn't it too..."

"Let's get right down to business," L said, interrupting Matsuda. "Follow me." As they walked into further into the hotel room, which seemed more like a penthouse, L motioned to a nearby table. "Turn off your cell phones and laptop computers, and put them on this table."

"Does L-san suspect that we will broadcast the conversation with cell phones?", Aizawa asked as the men did as L asked.

"Just do it," the chief told him.

"It's not like this is the first time he hasn't trusted us," Matsuda stated with a sigh. "I wonder if he ever will."

Sam noticed the look L was giving her as she just stood there besides the group. She set down her bag and turned out all her pockets, showing him that the only thing that was in them was March, her brown toy rabbit.

"You're wrong," L said to Aizawa's question as he stepped onto a chair. "I merely don't want our conversation to be interrupted by incoming calls." As he sat down, with his knees drawn up to his chest and his feet on the cushion of the chair, L leaned forward with his hands on top of his knees. "Do not write down anything you hear," he instructed them. "Just commit it to memory. Also, don't call me L. Call me Ryuzaki. Safety first."

"Okay," he said. "Sit." There was a table with a tea set in front of him, with a couch and another chair that were similar to the one L was in around it. Two extra armchairs had been pulled over to the spot so no one would have to sit on the floor. The chief, Matsuda, and Mogi sat on the couch as Ukita sat opposite L and Aizawa sat in the armchair closest to him, leaving the armchair next to L as the only seat left open for Sam to sit in. Setting the bag that the cookie tins were in next to the chair, she sat down and, deciding she didn't care what the others thought if L was sitting the way he was, she pulled her legs up in the chair, one foot under the knee of one leg, the other foot on top of the knee of the other.

As they sat there, Matsuda spoke up. "I just had an idea," he said, leaning forward slightly. "If Kira needs the names and faces of his victim to be able to kill them, all we have to do is stop all the news channels from broadcasting information about criminals."

"If you do that, Kira will kill innocent people instead," L said to the idea.

"Plus," Sam decided to add, "even if we somehow did that, that would put the public in danger from other murderers and various other types of criminals, including rapists and the like."

"Innocent people?", Ukita said.

Aizawa looked at L and asked, "Why would he do that?"

_And there we go again,_ Sam thought, rolling her eyes. _Aizawa and Ukita ignoring me._

"I know exactly how he thinks," L told them as he stirred his tea, "because Kira is an immature sore loser." He took a sip from the cup before continuing. "Yes," he said. "Since I am also an immature sore loser..."

"L-s... I mean, Ryuzaki-san," Soichiro said, "what do you mean?"

"When I publicly challenged Kira on national television," L explained, "Kira killed the fake L without a second thought, breaking his pattern of only killing terrible criminals. Furthermore, when I announced my hypothesis that Kira is in Kanto, the killing became concentrated in Japan. During the time the FBI agents were killed, the deaths were concentrated in the same area as well." Setting his cup down, he looked at Matsuda. "Not only is Kira not afraid of our attempts, he counterattacks accordingly. He is very stubborn about not losing." With that said, he asked, "What do you think he'd do if you stopped all broadcasting of criminal information?"

Sam leaned forward to listen more closely to his words, her elbows on her leg. "'If you don't show me the criminals, I'll start killing suspects of minor crimes, or even innocent people. The world is my hostage! Their deaths won't be on my hands, you're the one who hid the criminals from me!'" L looked at them all as he said that. "That is what Kira will think. The most important thing now is to make sure the media doesn't show anything about us here. Still," he told them, "I think the media can be of use to us, especially since we also have to look out for anything from the newest member of this mystery, Libra.

"As luck would have it, many countries including the United States have agreed to provide any scientific and intelligence support they can for this case." With those words, L put the tip of his index finger near his mouth as he spoke, thinking. "So, what if we do this...

"Announce something like, 'The United States government is furious about the murder of the FBI agents. Kira has also enraged all the leaders of the world. The United Nations has sent 1,500 investigators to Japan to assist in the capture of Kira.' With that, Kira's opponent will no longer be just the FBI. He will consider anyone he sees on the street as a potential enemy. This will cause plenty of mental stress and discomfort."

They were all shocked. Even Sam was shocked, awed at how different the idea sounded in person than heard on tv or read in a book. "Amazing... Truly amazing," she whispered.

"The eight-man team suddenly becomes 1,500," Aizawa said. "Yet, unlike the agents, most of those investigators don't exist."

The chief straightened in his chair in excitement. "Ryuzaki-san," he said, "I'll bring this up to my superiors immediately."

"I wonder what will Kira do to counter this," Matsuda contemplated.

Ukita piped in, "Even if he wants to retaliate..."

L was silent as they talked about his idea. "Let me share a few personal insights on the case," he said, gaining the attention of the room again. Sticking the tip of his thumb into his mouth as he spoke, he shared his thoughts. "Firstly, Kira acts alone. We can see this clearly from earlier reports."

"Why do you think that?", Aizawa interrupted. "What are you basing this off of?"

"Hold on, Aizawa-san," Sam said as she sent a look at her co-worker. "Let Ryuzaki-san finish before you start asking questions. I think we should all do that."

"I agree with Sam-chan," the chief said, sending a disapproving look at his subordinate.

"Ah, okay."

L tilted his head to Sam in thanks. "Kira needs to know the face and name of his victim," he continued, "and he can control the time of death and the actions of the victim to some extent. Remember everything I have said so far and continue listening." He picked up a dry-erase marker and uncapped it. Clearing a spot in front of him, he started writing on the table. "December fourteenth, twelve FBI agents entered Japan. December nineteenth, Kira is clearly using the criminals in the prison to test out his control over the victims' actions before their deaths. In other words, Kira noticed the FBI agents some time in these five days. In order to eliminate the agents whose identities were unknown to him, Kira needed to test how well he is able to control the victims' actions." He continued writing as he explained, making what was apparently a time-line. "December 27th, using the results of the experiments, Kira successfully gathered the names and pictures of the agents. Then he sent the files to all the agents before killing them. This is so that we won't find out which agent did Kira acquire the information from. This also proves that Kira had contact with at least one of the agents."

All of them were drawn in to L's words, listening as he gave them an overview of what he had noticed and concluded. "The bodies of the twelve agents were found throughout the city. Between the nineteenth and the 27th," he said, "there were 23 other killings. Most of the victims were only suspected of a crime, but some had criminal records. These are starkly different from Kira's regular victims." L's next words sent a wave of dread over his listeners. "Kira killed even those he wouldn't otherwise kill to eliminate the threat of FBI agents." L was really getting into what he was saying, but his voice stayed at a monotonous level. "He killed 23 people, but most of them served as cover ups. Only a few of them had any purpose.

"Between his experiments and the killing of the agents, Kira waited eight days. This is probably to let the agents investigate more suspects, so he wouldn't stand out. In any case," he said, "Kira is among the people investigated during this time." Still using the marker with his right hand, L grabbed a stack of papers from nearby and held them up so the investigators could see what they were. "Kira couldn't have known the faces of the agents before he could distribute the documents," L told them. "One of them must have gotten the documents first. I know the order in which the twelve agents got the documents. These documents are supposed to be classified but..."

"Amazing! With these we can start immediately," Matsuda said, interrupting L.

Ukita leaned forward and said, "First we find the common points between those 23 victims and the twelve agents..."

"We can look for clues in two teams," Aizawa butted in, "one for the FBI agents and one for the 23 deaths."

Sam winced when she heard the thunk of the marker hitting the table as L let it go. "Any questions?", he asked, being ignored by the men. As Matsuda, Ukita, and Aizawa talked about what L had said, Sam decided to take the opportunity to give L what she had brought for him.

"Ryuzaki-san," Sam said softly, to get his attention.

"Yes?"

Sam grabbed the brown bag and moved it next to his chair. "I... made you and Watari-san some cookies," she told him gesturing to the bag. "I didn't know when would be an appropriate time to give them to you, so I thought I might as well do so now. I'm positive that you can figure out who's is who's."

L looked at her with drooping eyes. "Thank you... Do you prefer 'Yugito-san' or 'Montgomery-san'?"

Sam chuckled lightly as she saw his left hand twitch slightly towards the bag. "If it's alright with you, Ryuzaki-san," she said, "I'd actually prefer 'Sam'. Mainly, because that's the shortened version of my name for both aliases."

"Oh?" Hearing the low, questioning tone in his voice, Sam sighed.

"If it's all the same to you, I'd rather explain later, Ryuzaki-san. It's... not really something I want made public."

L looked like he was about to say something to that, when Soichiro said, "Ryuzaki-san, I have a question." Both L and Sam turned to look at the man. "You said that you are a sore loser. Is showing yourself in front of us a failure for you?"

"Yes," L answered. "This meeting and the death of the twelve agents are all... completely my fault." The chief looked shocked to hear this. "However, I will win in the end." By this time, the others were listening to him as well. "This is the first time I've risked my life to catch a criminal," L explained. "I want to let everyone here, who are also risking their lives, know that justice will prevail!" A small smile appeared on L's face as he finished.

Matsuda, Ukita, Mogi, and Aizawa were all yelling their agreement to his words. But Sam ducked her head down, attempting to hide her face as she tried to force down the blush that was spreading across her cheeks. _S-so cute,_ she thought. _He's like a freaking panda puppy! _

_ "_Now," L said, standing up from his chair, "I need to speak with each of you for a final check to make sure that Kira is not one of us..." As he walked into a side room, Sam watched him, missing the small conversation between her uncle and partner. Noticing L stop in front of the window for a few moments, she could almost see the blue light around him as he began thinking about what to do next.


	8. Another Year, Another Twist

_**Disclaimer: I do NOT own anything you recognize. They belong to their respective owners, and it SUCKS! (what I wouldn't give to own at least one of the characters...)**_

_**AN: Just to let you know, I'm basing some characters, my OCs that is, on actual people I know, friends, family, that sort of thing. Also, one of them has the same first name as myself, and I chose the name (actually used for the majority of my heroines) because, even though I don't like my name, it does make a good name for a character. Plus, there are just so many different nicknames for it, I thought it'd be a good idea!**_

_Balancing Out Justice_

_by SamiraGranger_

**Chapter Eight: Another Year, Another Twist**

"I apologize for hammering you with questions," L said as the only remaining members of the Kira investigative team sat around him. "Kira isn't here." All of them sighed in relief.

Soichiro looked at L and asked, "How do you know if one of us isn't Kira, Ryuzaki-san?"

"I've got a plan," L told him. "It's a test that none of you are aware of." Suddenly, a short beeping sound was heard. "Oh, sorry," L said, pulling a cell phone out of his pocket. As he answered the phone, Sam swore she could actually see the thought bubble above Matsuda's head talking about the double-standard their host just pulled. "Gotcha," L said into the phone after a few moments, "we're pretty much finished up here. Use your own key to come in."

L closed the phone and slipped it back into his pocket. "Watari is coming," he informed them. Just seconds after he said that, the door to the hotel room opened and they heard Watari as he walked in. Turning to look at the man, Sam couldn't help but smile at the sight of him.

"Good work, everyone," Watari said as he joined them, removing his hat. Now that the hat that had covered his face in shadows was gone, everyone could see what he actually looked like. Sam put a hand over her mouth to hide her smile as she saw Aizawa's jaw drop from the corner of her eye at how old Watari was. "You must be thinking, 'This old geezer is Watari?'," he said, a calm expression on his face. "Ryuzaki has told you everything, correct?"

Since the others were still stunned, Sam decided to speak up. "If you mean if he has explained the situation, then, yes, Watari-san." Watari smiled at her as he chuckled at the others' silence.

Moving to stand next to L, he said, "Ryuzaki must really trust you all if he let you see my face." The men nodded as Sam chuckled at the situation. Turning to look at the detective, Watari held up a thin briefcase that he was holding to show to L. "Ryuzaki, I brought the things you ordered."

"Hand them out," L told the old man. As Watari opened the item and showed them the contents, L said, "These are everyone's new badges."

"New?!" Everyone was shocked by this piece of news, even Sam when she saw that there actually was six badges laying in the briefcase.

"Your name and position must be anonymous," L explained as each of them accepted their new badges, checking them to see what they said.

"A fake badge..." Matsuda's words, said in disbelieve, some how summed up how they all felt. Sam took a look at her own badge, and was shocked at how close to her actual name it was. There on the badge, beneath a picture of her, was the name 'Nashiko Samouta'. Rolling her eyes at it, she just slipped the badge into her pocket next to March, her little stuffed brown rabbit.

"Kira must know the name and face of the victim in order to kill them," L reminded them. "So we must use these badges."

"B-but for a cop to use a fake badge..." Ukita couldn't help but be concerned.

"We'll die if Kira knows who we are," Soichiro said, seeing the sense in L's words. "We should use this."

Matsuda and Sam shared a look. "We agree," they said in unison.

"So when you absolutely must say who you are," L told them, "use this fake badge." Sam and her fellow investigators muttered their agreement. "But not in the police station, or we might get in trouble." When L said this, everyone realized just how serious he was about using the badges.

Exchanging glances, the six remaining investigators from the NPA looked at L and, in one voice, said, "Roger."

Watari coughed, getting everyone's attention as he opened another briefcase. "Also," he said, "the men must all wear these belts as well. Yugito-san, you'll wear this necklace instead of a belt." All of the men stood up and accepted a belt, wondering what was going on. As Sam accepted the necklace that Watari was handing her, she saw that, while the men had a regular black belt with silver buckle, her necklace was a small, circular pendant that was silver with a dark blue gemstone in the middle. Putting the length of black cord that the pendant hung on around her neck, she recognized the feel of it as disguised kevlar rope. Turning her attention back to Watari, she watched as he explained what the items did. "There's a transmitter hidden in the buckle of the belts, and in the pendant of your necklace. This way, Ryuzaki will always know your location. Also," he said, holding a spare belt, "if you press the buckle, or the gemstone, twice, my cell phone will ring." Pressing the buckle of the belt he was holding, sure enough, the sound of a cell phone ringing was heard.

As the men were looking over their new belts, Watari continued his explanations. "After we get a call, we'll contact you via an untraceable number." Fiddling with the cord of her necklace, Sam actually paid attention to what Watari was saying, since she had never really done so whenever she had read or watched this part of the story with her friends. "You will be working at the station during office hours, and then check in when you reach your hotel rooms. You can also use this to contact us in the case of an emergency."

"Cool," Matsuda exclaimed as he switched belts, "it feels like we're some special group formed to catch Kira!"

"MATSUDA!" As her uncle berated the younger man, Sam couldn't help but move closer to her partner. "This isn't a game, be serious!"

"Okay," Matsuda said dejectedly.

Patting one of his shoulders with her hand, Sam whispered to him, "It's okay, Matsu-kun, you're not the only one who thinks that." Seeing him perk up at that, the two shared knowing looks. Chuckling as the others wondered what she had said to who they thought was the stupidest member of the team, Matsuda slung a hand around Sam's shoulders.

"Thanks, Sam-chan," he whispered into the girls ear. "I needed that."

"No problem, Matsu-kun."

The two of them stood there as L turned his head to look at the chief. "Oh, it wouldn't look right if the main building is empty," L informed him. "Have somebody stay there so at least it looks occupied."

Soichiro nodded his head at the words. "Understood," he said. Turning, he looked at Aizawa. "Aizawa-kun, please go to headquarters," he instructed the man.

"Alright," Aizawa said, jumping into action. "Shouldn't take more than five minutes to get back there." As he left, a thought immediately came to Sam's mind.

_"_It's New Year's Day," she whispered. Her eyes widened in alarm. "Holy crap! It's New Year's Day!" Ignoring the looks she was getting, she turned to look at L and her uncle. "I'm so sorry," she told them, "but I need to return to my house and get some things ready. I almost forgot that today is the Match of Voices that Sayu-chan is competing in." Seeing the confused look on their faces, she explained. "I helped her set it up to try and get some girls at her school to quit bullying her. I made a promise that, not only would I help her practice, but I'd get someone to sing back-up for her since her competition are in a group and she's on her own." Giving her two bosses a glare, she said, "When I make a promise, I always try to keep it, no matter what."

"Go ahead, then," L said, looking at her. "Just make sure you return here afterward to continue working on the case."

"Yes, sir," Sam said as she began to fidget. As he waved a hand to signal for her to go, she began to head to the door, when she thought of something that made her almost groan. "Shoot, I just remembered," she said, turning to look at Soichiro. "You let me ride with you here. I can't go on the bus, and my motorcycle is back at my place." Placing her face in one of her hands, she shook her head as she tried to think of a solution. _Think, Sam, think. You have to figure this out, _she thought.

She felt a hand being placed on her back. Looking up, she saw Watari standing next to her. "Come on," he said. "You can ride with me. I need to go get a few things for Ryuzaki, so it won't be a problem."

Smiling at the older man, she let him steer her out of the hotel room. "Thank you, Watari-san," she said as they walked to the elevator. "I really appreciate this. I owe you one."

Watari chuckled. "Just make sure that you succeed in your mission, my dear," he told her. "That would be payment enough, as I'm sure this won't be the last time this will happen."

At the reminder of the true reason why she was there, she didn't stop the groan from escaping this time. "I'm at a standstill with that, to be honest," she informed the man. Seeing the questioning look on his face, she decided to elaborate. "I can't exactly go through with part of my plan right now until Ryuzaki-san watches a certain video." While they waited for the elevator to reach the lobby, Sam decided to ask something that had been bothering her lately.

"Watari-san," she said, turning her head to look at the man. "How long have you known about the IUSDA?"

"At least twenty-two years," he told her. "I was asked to be a mentor for one of the agents." Sending her a knowing look as the elevator came to a stop, he chuckled as Sam had to hold her tongue unless she wanted others to hear about the secret group.

They quickly exited the hotel and found the small town car that Watari used whenever he was running errands for L. "You know," Watari said as they drove through the city, "I was surprised that the Administration actually sent an Apprentice on a mission like this."

"It... was actually my dad's mission, first." Sam blushed after she had uttered that confession. "He told me that he didn't really fill the requirements to succeed at this mission. Now, I'm wondering if that was really true." Then, the realization of what was happening hit her. "Oh my gosh," she said in shock, "this is my final exam!" Turning to look at Watari with wide eyes, she heard him laughing at her.

Groaning as the knowledge that she was having her final exam to be a full-fledged Defender sunk in, she lent her head back against the seat and ran a hand down her face. "Darn it," she muttered. "It all makes sense now. The way dad was talking before the official mission offer. How easy it was to get close to L after I arrived. The fact that you know about the IUSDA..." Sam glared at Watari as he pulled up to her house. "I bet you were expecting me to show up, weren't you... Papa?"

As expected, Watari neither confirmed nor denied her accusation. Rolling her eyes as she got out of the car, Sam thanked him for the ride. "Oh, before I forget," she said before she closed the door, "don't let Ryuzaki-san eat all the cookies in the bag I gave him. There is a reason why the tins look the way they do." Closing the door on the laughing man, Sam hurried to the door of her house.

~~~~~~~(^w\)# * #(/w^)~~~~~~~

Pulling up in front of the school, Sam turned off her motorcycle. Looking at the crowd that had gathered in front of the stage that had been set up in the courtyard, she groaned. _This is going to be heck,_ she thought as she slid off the bike. Running a hand along her jeans to smooth them out, she let her eyes wander around the crowd of people to try and find her cousin. Seeing her near the stage, she pocketed her keys.

Weaving her way through the crowd, her helmet masking who she was, she made her way to the obviously nervous girl. "Hey," she said as she got close to her, "Sayu, right? Your cousin asked me to sing back-up for you." Noticing the wary expression on Sayu's face as she looked at her, she laughed. "Don't worry, I'm good friends with Sam-chan. We've known each other pretty much our entire lives." Trying to put the girl's fears to rest, she led Sayu to the area that had been closed off behind the stage for the girls to get ready in.

Once they were inside, Sam wasn't surprised at all when Sayu ducked out from under her arm and glared at her. Sayu got up in her face and demanded, "Who are you?"

Sam laughed again. "I like you, kid," she said as she slipped off her helmet. "You got spunk. No wonder Samui said I'd get along fine with you." When Sayu saw who she had pretty much yelled at, her jaw dropped.

"Y-you're..."

"Hideki Sakura, at your service." Sweeping into a low and dramatic bow, Sam couldn't help the smile that appeared on her face.

"But... Aren't you supposed to be on vacation?"

"Yeah," Sam answered, hand behind her neck. Messing with the bottom edge of the orange-red wig, she rolled her eyes. "I owe Sam a few favors, though, from things she's done for me over the years. She's never really called one in before, because she states that I don't owe her anything, but when she did a few weeks ago, I knew immediately that I'd do it." As the lies flowed off her tongue, Sam smirked at her cousin. Giving the girl's outfit and make-up a once over through her magenta contacts, she shook her head. "Girl, what were you thinking? That outfit doesn't fit the song at all," she said as she grabbed Sayu by her elbow. "Let's check out what the drama department has offered up for the show."

Rummaging through the rack of clothes, Sam pulled out a pair of black flair pants and a purple vest. Looking back at the clothes Sayu was already wearing, she nodded. "Okay, Sayu," she said, "here's what we're going to do. I need you to change into these pants. They will go well with that long-sleeved white shirt you're wearing. Also, I want you to put this vest on over your shirt. Do that while I look at the shoes and hats to see if there's any good match ups in the set." As Sayu did what the pop-star said, Sam dug through the shoes and hats. "Ah-ha!" Grabbing the pair of purple heels that matched the vest almost perfectly as far as color goes, she pulled them out and tossed them at Sayu. Continuing to dig through the hats, she called behind her, "Those will go well with what you're wearing, also. Once you get done with putting that stuff on, I'll fix your make-up." Not finding a good hat, she shrugged.

Turning back around, she smiled at how the girl looked. Gone was the school-girl, and in her place was a young lady that appeared to be getting ready for a night out. Walking over to Sayu, Sam looked at her face and frowned slightly. "Come with me," she said, dragging the girl over to the small make-up station. "I think I know just what you need as far as make-up goes. We're going to make it a subtle effect. Smokey eyes with black mascara, a light pink gloss, and some blush that is just a few shades darker than your natural skin tone should do the trick." Putting the said make-up items on the girl's face, it didn't take long until Sam deemed Sayu done.

Giving the girl another once over, Sam smiled at the effect the change of clothing and the addition of the make-up made on the teen. "Looking good there, Sayu-chan," she said with a grin. "In fact, I believe that I have successfully transformed you into something that will knock their socks off out there." Hooking an arm with the girl, Sam led her out of the closed-off area and back to the stage. Nodding to the man that was next to it, Sam nudged Sayu forward. "She's ready," she told him.

The man smiled at the two and walked up onto the stage. "We've heard the group of girls that caused this little competition already," he said into the mike, "and now, we have the privilege to hear a song from the girl who's cousin put this together. Let's hear it, for Yagami Sayu!" Sayu walked up onto the stage. Accepting the headset-mike from the man, she slipped it on and got in place.

Feeling confident in herself, she waited until Sam was in position before nodding for the music to start. As the first strains of the music started, she sent a dazzling smile out to the crowd as she began to slowly dance. Taking a deep breath, she sang.

_**"I see you driving 'round town**_

_** With the guy I love and I'm like,**_

_** Forget you!**_

_** Oo, oo, ooo**_

_** I guess the change in my pocket**_

_** Wasn't enough I'm like,**_

_** Forget you!**_

_** And forget him too!**_

_** I said, if i was richer, I'd still be with ya**_

_** Ha, now ain't that some shhh? (ain't that some shhh?)**_

_** And although there's pain in my chest**_

_** I still wish you the best with a…**_

_** Forget you!**_

_** Oo, oo, ooo**_

_** Yeah I'm sorry, I can't afford a Ferrari,**_

_** But that don't mean I can't get you there.**_

_** I guess she's an Xbox and I'm more Atari,**_

_** But the way you play your game ain't fair.**_

_** I pity the fool that falls in love with you**_

_** (oh, she's a gold digger)**_

_** Well**_

_** (just thought you should know)**_

_** Ooooooh**_

_** I've got some news for you**_

_** Yeah go run and tell your little girlfriend**_

_** I see you driving 'round town**_

_** With the guy I love and I'm like,**_

_** Forget you!**_

_** Oo, oo, ooo**_

_** I guess the change in my pocket**_

_** Wasn't enough I'm like,**_

_** Forget you!**_

_** And forget him too!**_

_** I said, if i was richer, I'd still be with ya**_

_** Ha, now ain't that some shhh? (ain't that some shhh?)**_

_** And although there's pain in my chest**_

_** I still wish you the best with a…**_

_** Forget you!**_

_** Oo, oo, ooo**_

_** Now I know, that I had to borrow,**_

_** Beg and steal and lie and cheat.**_

_** Trying to keep ya, trying to please ya.**_

_** 'Cause being in love with your face ain't cheap.**_

_** I pity the fool that falls in love with you**_

_** (oh she's a gold digger)**_

_** Well**_

_** (just thought you should know)**_

_** Ooooooh**_

_** I've got some news for you**_

_** Oo, I really hate your act right now**_

_** I see you driving 'round town**_

_** With the guy I love and I'm like,**_

_** Forget you!**_

_** Oo, oo, ooo**_

_** I guess the change in my pocket**_

_** Wasn't enough I'm like,**_

_** Forget you!**_

_** And forget him too!**_

_** I said, if i was richer, I'd still be with ya**_

_** Ha, now ain't that some shhh? (ain't that some shhh?)**_

_** And although there's pain in my chest**_

_** I still wish you the best with a…**_

_** Forget you!**_

_** Oo, oo, ooo**_

_** Now baby, baby, baby, why d'you wanna wanna hurt me so bad?**_

_** (so bad, so bad, so bad)**_

_** I tried to tell my mamma but she told me**_

_** "this is one for your dad"**_

_** (your dad, your dad, your dad)**_

_** Uh! Whhhy? Uh! Whhhy? Uh!**_

_** Whhhy baby? Oh! I love you oh!**_

_** I still love you. Oooh!**_

_** I see you driving 'round town**_

_** With the guy I love, uh**_

_** Forget you!**_

_** Oo, oo, ooo**_

_** I guess the change in my pocket**_

_** Wasn't enough I'm like,**_

_** Forget you!**_

_** And forget him too!**_

_** I said, if i was richer, I'd still be with ya**_

_** Ha, now ain't that some shhh? (ain't that some shhh?)**_

_** And although there's pain in my chest**_

_** I still wish you the best with a…**_

_** Forget you!**_

_** Oo, oo, ooo."**_

Ending the song back-to-back with Sam, Sayu couldn't help but smile at the stunned expressions on everyone's faces. Panting as she stood there, she felt Sam place a hand on her shoulder. "Very good, Sayu," Sam said. "I'm sure that you have done your cousin proud. It's a pity that she had to work today, Sam would have loved to see this crowd."

As the girls that had been the cause of this coming to be were led back onto the stage, Sam stood proudly next to Sayu. Grinning widely out at the crowd of people, she squeezed Sayu's shoulder lightly. "Okay, thank you, Yagami Sayu, for that thrilling performance," the man that had introduced them said, standing in between Sayu and the group of her tormentors. "The time has come, ladies and gentlemen, to decide the winner of this Match of Voices! Whoever has the loudest cheer, wins." With that said, he raised a hand and gestured to the girls that were dressed in outfits that reminded Sam of prostitutes. "Let's hear what you think of these young ladies!" The crowd cheered weakly for the group of girls, causing them to glare at the people that had come out to watch. Sweat-dropping at the response of the crowd, the man lowered his hand. Raising it again, he gestured for Sayu. "Okay, then," he said, "what did you think of Yagami Sayu's performance, then?"

The crowd went wild. Sayu's eyes widened at how loud they were cheering, all for her. As the huge crowd yelled, she could barely hear it when she was declared the winner of the Match. Seeing someone at the back of the crowd that she knew, Sayu grabbed Sam's arm and dragged her off the stage. "There's someone I want you to meet, Sakura-san," Sayu said as she pushed her way through the crowd. As they got closer to the person, Sam saw who her cousin wanted to introduce her to and almost froze.

"Touta-san! I can't believe you actually came," Sayu said as she smiled at the young man. "What did you think?"

"You did great, Sayu-chan!" Matsuda grinned at the girl. "Congratulations on winning the Match! I knew you could do it."

"I couldn't have done it without Sam-chan's help." Sayu blushed at the praise. Sam looked at the girl and smirked.

"Oh, so you didn't need me to do back-up for you?" Sam looked at Sayu with a raised eyebrow. The girl spluttered at her words. Sam chuckled and looked at Matsuda. "So, you're a friend of Sayu-chan's, then? It's nice to meet you."

Matsuda stared at her with wide eyes as he took in her appearance. "Y-you're... Hideki Sakura! Oh Kami," he exclaimed. "My name is Matsuda Touta. I've been a fan of your's ever since you did that cover of Christina Aguilera's 'Candyman'."

"Oh, well, thank you," Sam said, hiding how awkward she felt, meeting her partner on the Task Force as her pop-star persona. She could almost see the hearts in his eyes as he stared at her. "It's always nice to meet someone new, even a fan. Wait, did you say your name is Matsuda Touta?" Sam let her acting abilities take over as she looked at him with wide eyes. "You're Samui-chan's partner at the NPA, aren't you?"

"How do you know that?!"

Laughing at Matsuda's shocked expression, Sam shook her head. "You mean, Sam-chan never told you? Me and her are old childhood friends! In fact," she said, "I helped Sayu-chan out as a favor to Samui." She burst out laughing at the even-more stunned expression on the man's face. Turning to Sayu, she said, "Listen, I have to get going. It was fun, Sayu-chan," Sam told the girl. "If you ever want me to sing with you again, just get in contact with me through Sam-chan, okay?" Giving the girl a hug, she glanced at Matsuda. Deciding to mess with the man, she said, "It was nice to meet you, Touta-san. You think you could take care of Samui-chan for me?" Kissing the man on the cheek, Sam smiled as she walked away from the two.


	9. An Unexpected Lead

_**Disclaimer: I do NOT own anything you recognize. They belong to their respective owners, and it SUCKS! (what I wouldn't give to own at least one of the characters...)**_

_Balancing Out Justice_

**Chapter Nine: An Unexpected Lead**

It had only been four, maybe five, days since the last remaining members of the Kira Task Force had met L, the world's greatest detective, and while things had changed, they also stayed the same. Various papers and video tapes littered the hotel suite that L was staying in and acted as the new headquarters for the Task Force. All of them had spent the past few days watching and re-watching the security videos that showed the deaths of the FBI agents. Sam stood behind the couch with her uncle as they watched the videos with L, trying to avoid looking at Matsuda.

"Hm..." Aizawa picked up one of the tapes and turned to look at L. "These tapes are the recordings of every security camera relevant to the deaths of the FBI on December 27th," he said. "Their footage captured the heart attacks of Knick Staek in the Ginza department store, Raye Penber in Yamanotesen, and Nicola Nasberg on Ikefukuro no Hanka Street. These people have been recorded ever since they left their hotels."

Sam stiffened slightly as she heard Raye Penber mentioned. _Crap,_ she thought, not aware that her partner had noticed the stiffening of her shoulders. _I'm going to have to contribute about Light's call soon. This is going to suck..._

"Show me all the footage of Raye Penber when he entered the gates up until his death," L said, having noticed something in the videos. As the videos played, L held a picture of Penber and began explaining what the videos showed. "He entered through the Shinjaku Nishikuchi Gates at 3:11 pm. Just like his train card recorded." Raising the picture in his hands, he told them, "We can tell that it is Penber even though the image is fuzzy." Lowering his hand so they could see the screens better, he continued. "He then boarded the Yamanotesen Line at 3:13 pm. We cannot see or determine who he was following at this point. Even if we enhanced the images, we still wouldn't know. And then here's his death...

"There's something very strange about this." L stared at the monitors. "He boarded at 3:13 pm, and died at 4:42 pm just after stepping off the train. A round trip on the Yamanotesen Line would take about an hour and a half..." Holding his head in one hand, he leaned a bit further over his knees. "He had no extra tickets, and his card has no record of him leaving the train during this time.

"Penber received all the names, pictures, and other information regarding his fellow agents at 3:21, which is eight minutes after he boarded the train." Sam just looked at the detective as he began putting the pieces together, still avoiding Matsuda's gaze. "After Penber received the information, he remained on the train for one and a half hours...

"Kira can control the person's actions before they die," L muttered, almost like he was only talking to himself. "This would explain why Penber's actions were stranger than those of the other twelve agents." L stared at the screens, comparing the tapes between each other.

"The envelope's gone?!" The others jumped at L's statement. Sam didn't move, almost scared to be the one to have to reveal Light's mistake.

"Huh!?" Aizawa leaned towards the screens to try and see what L was talking about.

"At the gates and before entering the train," L explained, "he had an envelope with him."

Aizawa got off the couch next to L, getting even closer to the screens. He muttered, "Envelope?" His nose was almost touching one of the screens as he searched the crowd. Spotting Raye Penber's form, he tapped the screen with a finger as he saw what L was talking about. "Oh! You're right!" Moving to the next screen, which showed Raye entering the train, he tapped the screen again. "He's holding it here too," he said. "That's amazing, Ryuzaki-san! You notice the smallest details!"

Sam remained silent as her uncle spoke up. "There weren't any envelopes among his articles," Soichiro said, checking the paper in his hand.

"Something must have happened on the train." L's words sparked the others into saying their theories.

Soichiro asked, "Could the envelope have had the agents' information?"

"Kira stole the envelope while they were on the train," Matsuda tried, "and killed Penber once he got off."

L turned slightly to look at Matsuda, Penber's photograph still in his hand. "Impossible," he told the man. "Penber boarded at 3:13 and received the information some time after. Penber couldn't have received the information before 3:13."

"Oh, that's right." Matsuda winced as Sam reached around her uncle and lightly slapped the back of her partner's head.

L looked over at Aizawa. "Please bring me all the footage of the Yamanotesen security cameras starting from the 27th," he instructed him.

"Roger." Aizawa stood up to do as he was asked.

"Also," L said, "on the footage of Penber's death... It seems as if he's trying to look towards the train before he died."

"Is this an important detail?", Soichiro couldn't help but ask.

"It would be pretty interesting if he was looking at Kira himself." L's statement had the chief shell-shocked.

"No... No way..." Soichiro almost couldn't believe what they were hearing, though Sam was trying her hardest to not let anything show in her facial expression or body language that she knew exactly what was happening.

L, thankfully, was glued to the screens, so he couldn't see the war going on within Sam's body. "I don't think so, either," he said. "Kira can kill people from far away, I don't think he would need to be so close to make this happen."

Sam couldn't help but interrupt, saying almost exactly what L was about to say. "Maybe Kira knows that we'd consider that and purposely stayed nearby," she stated softly and monotonously, a small frown on her face. L turned slightly and glanced at her.

"Let's just say Kira really was on the train," he said, turning back around, "and the security cameras couldn't record the person who took the envelope. It's possible that before the incident, he scouted out the locations of all the cameras and their blind spots." L stared back at the screens. "But if he ever was caught on tape after all," he told them, "he would become a major suspect."

Sam and the others shared grim looks at his words. "Now then, Aizawa will investigate the eleven other agents and the other victims," L said, standing up and walking around the couch. "Yagami-san and Matsuda-san will investigate Penber's death." The three mentioned agreed with their instructions. "Sam-chan, we need to have a talk."

Gulping at L's words, Sam froze slightly as she stammered out, "H-hai, Ryuzaki-san." As L waited behind the couch for her to follow him, Watari's cell phone rang.

"Yes..." Watari answered the phone. "Yes. Hold on a moment." He removed the phone from his ear and covered it with his hand as he turned to L. "Ryuzaki, Ukita-san from headquarters has received an interesting phone call."

"Give Ukita the number to line five and have that person contact me directly," L said. Turning where he stood to look at Matsuda, he told him, "Matsuda, you can turn on your cell. No, I mean turn it on now."

"Oh, right," Matsuda said, pulling out his phone and turning it on. Suddenly, it began to ring. L swiped it from his hands and answered it.

"This is Suzuki," he said into the phone, holding it delicately between his thumb and index finger, "information specialist of the Kira Investigation." Sam put a hand over her mouth to hide her smile as she tried not to laugh at the expression on Matsuda's face as L talked on his phone. "Penber's fiancee?!" Sam could see the shock on L's face as he listened to the person's words. "Misora Naomi... Sounds familiar." At the mention of the name, Watari began typing on the computer.

As L looked at the page that Watari had pulled up on the laptop about Misora Naomi, Sam recalled why L knew the woman. _She's the one who worked for him under the LA: Beyond Birthday Serial Killings, _she thought, watching L's blank expression. He stood there listening to who Sam assumed was Naomi's mother as the woman told him about Naomi's disappearance.

After a few minutes, L brought the phone away from his ear and covered it with his hand. "Yagami-san," he said, turning to look at the men that had moved to behind Sam, "is it still possible to locate cell phones that are turned off?"

Soichiro said, "Of course..."

L paused before closing the phone, ending the call. Handing the phone back to Matsuda, he informed them of what he had just found out. "Raye Penber and his fiancee came to Japan and stayed at the same hotel... A day after Raye died," he told them, "Naomi disappeared."

"She must have been devastated by Raye's death," Matsuda said. "Maybe..."

Aizawa couldn't help but say, "Suicide..."

"No, I doubt it," L said. "Naomi has too strong of a will to do that. She'd go after Kira on her own instead." All of them looked at L as he spoke of the woman. "She was with Penber... Maybe she knows something..." L placed his thumb against his lips as he stopped and began thinking.

"Penber definitely gave Haley Belle, the first agent to receive the profiles, a call," he mused. "Afterward, Belle sent the information to Penber. The person who wanted the info the most should be Penber. With his strange behavior in Yamanotesen, along with Naomi's disappearance..."

"Something doesn't sound right...", Sam couldn't keep the thought to herself.

"Everyone," L suddenly said, turning to look at them out of the corner of his eye as he slouched over. "Please investigate all the people Penber was following ever since Kira began his experiments on December nineteenth. The list should be small. However, Kira should be among them. So we can't reveal ourselves by directly questioning those people." L's words sent a sense of dread running through Sam. "Penber was investigating your families. Even though Penber's report said that the families were not suspicious, in every family that Penber investigated..." L turned to stare at them fully. "Please install hidden cameras and electronic bugs in all of their homes."

Sam sighed as she waited for the words to fully hit Matsuda and Aizawa. "No... No way! You can't do that in Japan!" Matsuda's yell echoed around the room, followed swiftly by Aizawa's.

"No matter how powerful you are or what your background is," Aizawa cried, "you can't do that. This is a major breach of privacy rights. If our bosses found out, we'd all lose our jobs. And then the suspects..."

Sam put her face in one of her hands as she shook her head. "Do you value your jobs over human lives?", L asked, saying the very thought that was going through her mind. Sam watched as her uncle stepped around her to stand in front of L.

Soichiro asked the question that was on all of their minds. "Who was Penber investigating at the time?"

Matsuda moved over to a nearby table and looked through them, trying to find the one that held the information they were looking for. Finding the paper, he said, "From the nineteenth, Penber was investigating..." He froze as he re-read the words on the page.

L finished the sentence for him. "Sub-chief Kitamura's family, and Chief Yagami's family." Sam moved over to her uncle and placed a hand on his arm as L said, "Then please install cameras and electronic bugs in these two households."

Matsuda yelled again. "No way! I told you, that's illegal in Japan!"

"If anyone found out," Aizawa added, "everyone here would be fired!"

Sam sighed as she steeled her eyes and said, "Then, we just have to install everything as discreetly as possible." All of them, even L, looked at her after she had said that. Knowing that she had pretty much stolen L's line, again, Sam turned away from the betrayed looks she was getting from Matsuda and her uncle.

Soichiro sighed. "Ryuzaki-san," he said, "what is the chance that Kira is actually in one of these families?"

L waited a few seconds before saying, "Ten percent." Turning to look at the chief, he corrected himself. "No, more like five percent."

_You are such a liar, L,_ Sam thought as she looked at the detective. _It's most likely you think there is about a fifteen percent chance or more._

Matsuda muttered, "Only five percent..."

"Right," Aizawa said. "Normally I'd want at least a fifty percent chance of me being right before doing something like this."

Soichiro began to see where L was coming from. "And even now, we still don't have a suspect," he said. "Even if the odds were one percent, we still have to investigate thoroughly."

"Does 'investigating thoroughly' mean installing illegal surveillance equipment?", Matsuda couldn't help but ask softly, looking at the chief with concern. "And in Kitamura-san's and your home, no less."

"Do we have any other choice?" Sam winced as she heard the dejected tone her uncle had used. She watched as Soichiro stared L in the eyes. "I cannot accept that my family is a suspect," he said finally. "Please, install them." Matsuda and Aizawa were shocked at the words issued from their chief. "Also," Soichiro said, sweat pouring down his face, "make sure every single angle of the house is being monitored! Even in the bathroom!"

"Thank you for your cooperation," L said, unconcerned. "I was going to do that anyways."

"Director! What are you thinking?" Matsuda said, still shocked by Soichiro's words.

Aizawa asked him, "You do know what this means, right!?"

"You have a daughter and a wife!"

Matsuda's words triggered something in the chief that the detectives hadn't seen before. Sam backed away quickly as her uncle snapped. "OF COURSE I KNOW!" Soichiro's yell echoed around the room. "IF WE ARE GOING TO FIND KIRA THEN WE ARE GOING TO HAVE TO DO EVERYTHING WE CAN! SO SHUT YOUR MOUTHS!"

Matsuda offered the chief a weak apology.

"Don't worry, it's fine," Soichiro said as he leaned against the wall, trying to calm down.

"This requires some sacrifices," L said as he moved back over to the couch and sat back down. "Well then, the director and I will monitor the Yagami home. The rest of you work in shifts. One of you head back to headquarters and work there while another rechecks the Penber footage," L instructed them, "the other two will monitor the Kitamura family." L turned to look at all of them.

"We will watch the families for seven days," he said. "Depending on how things go, we may stop early. When the surveillance is finished, inform the families. Leave no equipment, either. Do you all understand?" All of them were silent. "Watari. When can you have the surveillance equipment ready?"

Watari looked up from where he was sitting and answered, "By tomorrow. We can install that as soon as we are positive that nobody is home."

Sam didn't know what to do as she was almost smothered by the tension in the air. _That's it,_ she thought. _Next chance I get, I'm either baking or practicing my katas._

_ "_Also," L instructed Watari, "book two more rooms from a different hotel to serve as monitoring stations. Once we've installed the equipment, we will move to those immediately." As everyone got back to work, Sam didn't know what to do. "Sam-chan, we still need to have that talk."

Looking up at L's words, Sam hung her head slightly, almost afraid. "Yes, sir," she said, feeling like she was back in her father's office on the day she had let her brother convince her to sneak out of the house. Her face paling fast, she wasn't aware of the others watching her as she tried not to remember what had led to that day. _Relax, Sam,_ she thought. _Try to compose yourself. He most likely just wants to talk to you about your names. L shouldn't have any reason to suspect that you're Kira, or even Libra. _Taking deep breaths, she moved one of her hands, counting down from twenty at a slow pace using American Sign Language.

"Come on, my dear." Sam looked up slightly and saw Watari standing in front of her. "I'll escort you into the other room. Ryuzaki will join you later." She nodded at his words as she felt him put a hand against her back and began herding her out. Her head back down, she missed the reprimanding look that the old man sent L.

"Thank you, Papa," Sam whispered after Watari closed the door of the room he had taken her to. "I wasn't expecting to have that type of reaction to Ryuzaki saying that we needed to talk."

Watari put a hand around her shoulders, offering her some comfort. "It's perfectly alright, my dear," he said. "I should have remembered to tell him to not word his request the way he did. I recall the outcome of your brother's prank quite well, and I'm sorry that Ryuzaki reminded you of it."

Sam shuddered as she tried again to block out the memory. "I just hope I don't lose any sleep again tonight by having a nightmare," she told the man. Looking at him with tired eyes, she sighed. "I can't believe I froze like that, just from a memory. Kind of makes me glad that my dad no longer has that second-best spot." Smiling weakly, she sat down in one of the armchairs. Putting her head in her hands, she couldn't stop herself from shaking.

"Damn it, I thought I had more control over this," she hissed to herself. Tears ran down her cheeks as she closed her eyes. Voices echoed in her head, causing her to flinch at each reminder of what she considered her biggest mistake.

"_Stop crying, you wench."_

_"You won't get away with this. My daddy will make sure of it!"_

_"As if we're worried about that. We just want the attention. So, shut up, little bitch."_

Suddenly, her head shot up as she felt a hand on her shoulder. Glancing up, she saw that Watari was kneeling next to her. He passed her a handkerchief as she shook, the voices still echoing in her head. Taking the handkerchief from him, she took a shuddering breath as she wiped the tears off her face. Looking around, she saw that L had joined them, and, not only was he sitting opposite her, he actually had a concerned look on his face.

"I... I'm sorry," Sam said, "for breaking down like that. The way you told me that you wanted to have a talk with me..." She looked at him with tired eyes. "It... triggered some bad memories to surface."

"I'm sorry." Sam was shocked that L had apologized. "But, we do need to talk. Would you mind explaining why, when I checked the CIA database, there was not a single document stating that you were part of the organization before you joined the NPA? I can't work with someone that lied about working for a government agency."

Sam's eyes widened at what he said. _Darn it,_ she thought. _I knew I should have gone with the FBI, despite the risk._ Exchanging a look with Watari at the realization that she had been caught, Sam gulped as she wondered just how much she could say without compromising her mission.

"P... Watari-san, how much should I tell him?", she whispered to the man next to her, beginning to feel panic spread through her body.

"Just what you consider the basics, my dear."

Sam sighed. "I'm not registered as Yugito Samui in the USA," she told L, looking him in the eye. "I have three different names, each one registered in a different country. Obviously, Yugito Samui is what I go by here in Japan." With that, she pulled out her wallet and handed her Japanese driver's license to the detective. Going ahead and pulling out two more cards, she set her wallet to the side. As L looked over the ID, most likely checking to see whether it was fake or not, she continued what she was saying. "I grew up in the States, so I'm also registered there, but as Samira Montgomery. If you want to try looking up that name in the CIA database, go ahead. You'll find all the files you need about my involvement with the organization under that name and that name _only_." Passing him her USA driver's license, she rolled her eyes as he began the same process that he had used on her Japanese one on this new one. "And finally, I was actually born in England. Surrey, in fact, and I'm registered there by my true name. Samantha Nashton, at your service, Ryuzaki-san." Handing him the final driver's license, and the only one that had her true name on it, she smirked as she saw his eyes widen as he realized that she had slipped under his radar.

"I'm impressed, Sam-chan," L said as he looked over all three IDs. "And since all three names can be shortened to the nickname, 'Sam', I'm ninety-five percent certain that is why you have everyone call you by the name." Sam nodded at his deduction as she accepted her licenses back from him.

"Going by 'Sam' is really just easier on me," Sam confessed. "It can get confusing and complicated when I see various people at the same time, and they each know me by a different name."

L stood up from where he was sitting. "Whenever you are ready to return and continue working on the case, please do so." As he walked to the door, slouching as usual, he suddenly stopped and turned back around to face Sam. "Also, despite being Yagami-san's niece, you were followed at some point, but not by Penber, so you aren't under suspicion of being Kira. Just thought you should know, since we are investigating part of your family."

"Thank you for telling me, Ryuzaki-san," Sam said with a small smile. "I appreciate it, and if you need me to help with the surveillance, all you have to do is tell me. Like I've told you and the others before, I am willing to do almost anything to bring Kira to justice."


End file.
